Aurelian of Réôme
Encyclopedia
Aurelian of Réôme (fl. c. 840–850) was a Frankish
writer and music theorist
. He is the author of the Musica disciplina, the earliest extant treatise on music
from medieval
Europe.
near the present-day town of Moutiers-Saint-Jean
. Aurelian said in his treatise that he was a former monk of Réôme, but had been dismissed from the community for an unspecified offense; he wrote the treatise as a form of penance, both at the request of his colleagues who needed his specialized knowledge, and as an attempt to supplicate Abbot Bernard of St Jean de Réôme; whether or not he was admitted back into the monastery as a result of his writing is not known. There is a record of an abbot named Bernard at St Jean de Réôme beginning in 846, who shortly afterward became bishop of Autun; this has helped establish the date for the treatise.
There has been an attempt to associate Aurelian of Réôme with Aurelian, archbishop of Lyon from 876 to 895, but the evidence for this is circumstantial at best.
. Only Isidore of Seville
wrote on music before Aurelian, and his subject was the music of antiquity. Aurelian's work is the first to cover plainchant, in the period immediately after Gregorian chant
became standardized in northern and western Europe, and it also has the earliest extant sample of musical notation
, although the particular notational scheme he used has so far resisted definitive interpretation, and it only appears in one small section of his book.
One of the most important topics covered in the Musica disciplina, to contemporary scholars, is the eight Tones, what are today known as the church modes, although Aurelian did not use the term. As sources, Aurelian used Isidore of Seville, Cassiodorus
, and above all Boethius
, but the eight Tones were more likely than not imported from Byzantine music
in the 8th century. Instead of giving the modes the names used by the ancient Greeks as well as Boethius (Dorian
, Phrygian
, etc.) he invented his own names, such as noannoeane, and noeagis; he also includes the fascinating bit that Charlemagne
himself had commanded that four more Tones be added to the existing eight, making a total of twelve (it would not be until the 16th century that the remaining four modes were again defined; this occurred in the Dodecachordon of Heinrich Glarean
).
A current matter of controversy is whether the Musica disciplina is a survival of a tradition of writing on music, the rest of which has been lost, or whether Aurelian was the first to attempt to codify the existing practice. Music as an intellectual discipline had only been revived in the late 8th century by Alcuin
, as part of a campaign to revive all of the liberal arts of antiquity, and which was one of the most significant features of the Carolingian Renaissance
. There may have been prior, lost works on music from the late 8th and early 9th centuries; but if so, Aurelian makes no reference to them. In addition, Aurelian made many mistakes interpreting Boethius; European music theory was in its infancy, and the music theory of antiquity, as passed down by Boethius, was evidently difficult to understand and apply to the tradition of chant, which was the only music Aurelian knew.
Other topics covered in the Musica disciplina include the "music of the spheres
," the ethical and moral effects of music, and musical proportions; in addition he includes a narrative about the inventors of music, for example Pythagoras
and Jubal
.
The book also contains descriptions of more than 100 chants; unfortunately they are verbal descriptions only, since pitch-specific notation had not developed by 850, although there have been several attempts to transcribe them and correlate them with later versions of the same chants.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
writer and music theorist
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
. He is the author of the Musica disciplina, the earliest extant treatise on music
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
from medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Europe.
Life
Next to nothing is known about his life but what can be inferred by the treatise itself. For a time he was a member of the monastery at Saint Jean de Réôme, in the Côte-d'OrCôte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
near the present-day town of Moutiers-Saint-Jean
Moutiers-Saint-Jean
Moutiers-Saint-Jean is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
. Aurelian said in his treatise that he was a former monk of Réôme, but had been dismissed from the community for an unspecified offense; he wrote the treatise as a form of penance, both at the request of his colleagues who needed his specialized knowledge, and as an attempt to supplicate Abbot Bernard of St Jean de Réôme; whether or not he was admitted back into the monastery as a result of his writing is not known. There is a record of an abbot named Bernard at St Jean de Réôme beginning in 846, who shortly afterward became bishop of Autun; this has helped establish the date for the treatise.
There has been an attempt to associate Aurelian of Réôme with Aurelian, archbishop of Lyon from 876 to 895, but the evidence for this is circumstantial at best.
Work and influence
The Musica disciplina is the earliest writing on music from medieval Europe, in any language, since classical antiquityClassical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
. Only Isidore of Seville
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
wrote on music before Aurelian, and his subject was the music of antiquity. Aurelian's work is the first to cover plainchant, in the period immediately after Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
became standardized in northern and western Europe, and it also has the earliest extant sample of musical notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
, although the particular notational scheme he used has so far resisted definitive interpretation, and it only appears in one small section of his book.
One of the most important topics covered in the Musica disciplina, to contemporary scholars, is the eight Tones, what are today known as the church modes, although Aurelian did not use the term. As sources, Aurelian used Isidore of Seville, Cassiodorus
Cassiodorus
Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator , commonly known as Cassiodorus, was a Roman statesman and writer, serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Senator was part of his surname, not his rank.- Life :Cassiodorus was born at Scylletium, near Catanzaro in...
, and above all Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius, commonly called Boethius was a philosopher of the early 6th century. He was born in Rome to an ancient and important family which included emperors Petronius Maximus and Olybrius and many consuls. His father, Flavius Manlius Boethius, was consul in 487 after...
, but the eight Tones were more likely than not imported from Byzantine music
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
in the 8th century. Instead of giving the modes the names used by the ancient Greeks as well as Boethius (Dorian
Dorian mode
Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different musical modes or diatonic scales, the Greek, the medieval, and the modern.- Greek Dorian mode :...
, Phrygian
Phrygian mode
The Phrygian mode can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek tonos or harmonia sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern conception of the Phrygian mode as a diatonic scale, based on the latter...
, etc.) he invented his own names, such as noannoeane, and noeagis; he also includes the fascinating bit that Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
himself had commanded that four more Tones be added to the existing eight, making a total of twelve (it would not be until the 16th century that the remaining four modes were again defined; this occurred in the Dodecachordon of Heinrich Glarean
Heinrich Glarean
Heinrich Glarean was a Swiss music theorist, poet and humanist. He was born in Mollis and died in Freiburg....
).
A current matter of controversy is whether the Musica disciplina is a survival of a tradition of writing on music, the rest of which has been lost, or whether Aurelian was the first to attempt to codify the existing practice. Music as an intellectual discipline had only been revived in the late 8th century by Alcuin
Alcuin
Alcuin of York or Ealhwine, nicknamed Albinus or Flaccus was an English scholar, ecclesiastic, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Archbishop Ecgbert at York...
, as part of a campaign to revive all of the liberal arts of antiquity, and which was one of the most significant features of the Carolingian Renaissance
Carolingian Renaissance
In the history of ideas the Carolingian Renaissance stands out as a period of intellectual and cultural revival in Europe occurring from the late eighth century, in the generation of Alcuin, to the 9th century, and the generation of Heiric of Auxerre, with the peak of the activities coordinated...
. There may have been prior, lost works on music from the late 8th and early 9th centuries; but if so, Aurelian makes no reference to them. In addition, Aurelian made many mistakes interpreting Boethius; European music theory was in its infancy, and the music theory of antiquity, as passed down by Boethius, was evidently difficult to understand and apply to the tradition of chant, which was the only music Aurelian knew.
Other topics covered in the Musica disciplina include the "music of the spheres
Musica universalis
Musica universalis is an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies—the Sun, Moon, and planets—as a form of musica . This 'music' is not usually thought to be literally audible, but a harmonic and/or mathematical and/or religious concept...
," the ethical and moral effects of music, and musical proportions; in addition he includes a narrative about the inventors of music, for example Pythagoras
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. Most of the information about Pythagoras was written down centuries after he lived, so very little reliable information is known about him...
and Jubal
Jubal (Bible)
Jubal is an individual mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in .- Family :Jubal was a descendant of Cain, the son of Lamech and Adah, and the brother of Jabal, and half-brother of Tubal-cain and Naamah...
.
The book also contains descriptions of more than 100 chants; unfortunately they are verbal descriptions only, since pitch-specific notation had not developed by 850, although there have been several attempts to transcribe them and correlate them with later versions of the same chants.