ARETINO, Guido, or GUIDO D'AREZ ZO, Benedictine monk and reformer of music: b. probably near Paris, about 995; d. probably at Avellano, 1050. For a long time it was be lieved that he was born at Arezzo but Dom Germain Morin found evidence that Guido had received his education at the monastery of Saint Maur des Fosses, near Paris, a fact which adds to the probability of his having been born near Paris. He is supposed to have first re duced the science of music to a fixed system and to have been the inventor of the mono syllables of the Solfeggio — ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, drawn from the words of a Latin hymn. The monosyllable si, for the seventh of the scale, is a later invention. The syllables ut, re, mi, etc., are taken from a Latin hymn in honor of Saint John, composed in 770: Ut Was Re-sonare Sbris Mira gestorum tuorum.
Sol-ve polluti reatum.
It is narrated that on one occasion, while chanting this hymn, Guido noticed the gradual and regularly ascending tones of the first syl lables of each hemistich in the three verses given above and promptly systematized and fitted these to his system of solfeggio. The
fame of this system spread afar and Guido was subjected to muchjealousy and ill-will both in his own and other monasteries, but also attracted the favorable attention of Pope John XIX, who invited him to Rome. Guido was well received at the papal court, and taught the Pope his new system, which the latter helped to spread. In 1029 Guido was appointed prior of Avellano, where he probably remained until his death. The introduction of the four line staff is ascribed to him. Guido wrote much in explanation of his musical doctrines, of which the most important are the 'Micrololo gus' and the 'Argumentum Novi Cantus In veniendi.' Consult Michael, (Geschichte des deutschen Volkes vom 13 Jahrhundert bis zum des Mittclalters' (Vol. IV. p. 338, 1).