A neume (/ nj uː m /; sometimes spelled neum) [1] [2] [3] is the basic element of Western and some Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation. The earliest neumes were inflective marks that indicated the general shape but not necessarily the exact notes or rhythms to be sung.

Dec 22, 2015 · Of these, the most important ones to know in practice are the following: Punctum – a single, square note; Virga – a single, note with tail; Podatus – two ascending puncta; Clivis – two descending notes; Scandicus (and its close relative the Salicus) – three (or more) ascending notes; Climacus – three (or more) descending notes; Torculus – three notes, the second …

The meaning of NEUME is any of various symbols used in the notation of Gregorian chant.

neume, in musical notation, a sign for one or a group of successive musical pitches, predecessor of modern musical notes. Neumes have been used in Christian ( e.g., Gregorian, Byzantine) liturgical chant as well as in the earliest medieval polyphony (music in several voices, or parts) and some secular monophony (music consisting of a single ...

A neume (sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation.

Apr 4, 2025 · Musical notation - Evolution, Western Staff: Staff notation has its roots in the neumatic notations of plainchant and secular song of the 9th–12th century. Neumes were graphic signs indicating essentially the rise and fall of the voice. Their origin lies probably 1,000 years earlier in signs devised by Greek and Roman grammarians to guide declamation, such as / …

Dec 19, 2024 · A neume (sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation.

A Neume is a way to write music. Neumes were mainly in the Middle Ages before the modern system of musical notation was developed. Sometimes they are also called neum in English.

Neume, nūm, n. a succession of notes to be sung to one syllable, a sequence: an old sign for a tone or a phrase.

Neume definition: A sign used in the notation of plainsong during the Middle Ages, surviving today in transcriptions of Gregorian chants.