notation
theorynoh-TAY-shun
The written system of symbols used to represent music on paper or screen.
Musical notation is the technology that allows music to be recorded, transmitted, and preserved across time and distance. The modern system uses a five-line staff, clefs, note heads, stems, flags, and a variety of symbols for dynamics, articulation, and expression. It has been refined over roughly a thousand years.
The earliest Western notation appeared in medieval monasteries as simple marks (neumes) above the text to indicate the general shape of a melody. By the 13th century, notation could specify both pitch and rhythm. Guido d'Arezzo, an 11th-century monk, invented the staff system and the solmisation syllables (do, re, mi) that are still used today. Modern notation, while imperfect, can convey an extraordinary amount of information in a compact visual format.
The oldest surviving piece of music with complete notation is the Seikilos epitaph, a Greek song carved into a tombstone around 100 AD. Its lyrics translate to: While you live, shine.