Ut queant laxis
Ut queant laxis or
Hymnus in Ioannem is a
hymn to
Saint John the Baptist written by Paolo Diacono (ca 720 - 799) of
Italy. It is notable in that the first syllable of each line gave its name to a successive
note of the
major scale in
solfege, as each line begins with the successively higher note. The lyrics are:
- Ut queant laxis
- Resonāre fibris
- Mīra gestorum
- Famuli tuorum,
- Solve polluti
- Labii reatum,
- Sancte Ioannes.
(So
that these your servants may, with all their
voice, sing your
marvelous (
Mī)
exploits,
clean (
Sol) the guilt from our stained
lips, O
Saint
John.)
Ut is now mostly replaced by do due to the latter's open sound. Si has been replaced by ti in English.
The use of Ut queant laxis to name the notes is usually attributed to Guido of Arezzo.
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