Neume

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A symbol or group of symbols in early musical notation representing one or more notes to be sung collectively in chant or plainchant
2. A notation mark used in medieval music to indicate pitch and melodic contour for vocal performance in sacred or liturgical chants
3. An elemental sign in ancient or medieval musical transcription denoting a musical gesture or sequence of tones within chant traditions

Etymology: The earliest neumes were not written with notes on a staff at all. They were small marks placed above the words of a chant, serving as memory aids for singers who already knew the melody. The name for these marks passed through several languages before reaching English in the 15th century as "newme" or "nevme," coming from Middle French "neume." Its Medieval Latin source, "neuma" or "pneuma," is where the story splits. One possibility is that it comes from Ancient Greek "neûma," meaning "sign," which would suit a mark that signals what to sing. The other is that it is a corruption of "pneûma," meaning "breath," which would suit the way a singer's breath shapes a phrase. Both forms are attested, and the second makes "neume" a doublet of "pneuma," meaning that the two English words share a common ancestor but took different routes into the language.

Synonyms: musical notation, chant notation, medieval notation, Gregorian notation, musical symbol