Norton's New College Encyclopedia of Music says solmization is the use of syllables to designate the notes of the hexachord. Those adopted by Guido d'Arezzo were used in medieval theory as a system of reference and as a means of ear-training. He derived them from a plainsong hymn to St. John the Baptist, in which the first syllable of each line was sung to a note of the hexachord in rising succession (C D E F G A):
UT QUEANT LAXIS
Ut que-ant la-xis
(C D F DE D)
Re-so-na-re fi-bris
(D E C D E E)
Mi-ra ges-to-rum
(E GE D E DE)
Fa-mu-li tu o-rum
(F G A G FDD)
Sol--ve pol-lu-ti
(G AEG F G D)
La-bi-i re-a-tum. Sanc-te Jo-han-nes.
(A G A F GAA G FD C E D)translation:
O for your spirit, holy John, to chasten
Lips sin-polluted, fettered tongues to loosen;
So by your children might your deeds of wonder
Meetly be chanted.
Lo! a swift herald, from the skies descending,
Bears to your father promise of your greatness;
How he shall name you, what your future story,
Duly revealing.
Scarcely believing message so transcendent,
Him for a season power of speech forsaketh,
Till, at your wondrous birth, again returneth,
Voice to the voiceless.
You, in your mother's womb all darkly cradled,
Knew your great Monarch, biding in His chamber,
Whence the two parents, through their offspring's merits,
Mysteries uttered.
Praise to the Father, to the Son begotten,
And to the Spirit, equal power possessing,
One God whose glory, through the lapse of ages,
Ever resounding.
I cheated and copied a translation I found
-Joe Offer-
MIDI file: UTQUEA~1.MID
Timebase: 192
Name: Ut Queant Laxis
Text: By unknown
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Start
0000 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0192 0 64 000 0000 1 67 110 0192 0 67 000 0000 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0192 0 67 000 0000 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0192 0 69 000 0000 1 64 110 0192 0 64 000 0000 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0192 0 67 000 0000 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0192 0 67 000 0000 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000
EndThis program is worth the effort of learning it.
To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here
ABC format:
X:1
T:Ut Queant Laxis
M:4/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
C2D2F2D2|E2D2D2E2|C2D2E2E2|E2G2E2D2|E2D2E2F2|
G2A2G2F2|D2D2G2A2|E2G2F2G2|D2A2G2A2|F2G2A2A2|
G2F2D2C2|E2D7/4||