Capturing music : the story of notation / Thomas Forrest Kelly.

Accompanying CD contains performances of the musical compositions represented in the book's illustrations.

Includes bibliographical references s (pages 221-225) and index.

Isidore : writing as recording -- St. Gregory and the recording of music -- Guido the monk and the recording of pitch -- The great book : Leoninus and the recording of rhythm -- Franco figures it out -- It takes a scientist : Philippe de Vitry -- Into the future : later developments.

CD contents: Gregorian chant, Introit "Ad te levavi" (Michael Barrett, soloist) -- Gregorian chant, Introit "Resurrexi" (David McFerrin, soloist) -- Gregorian chant, Alleluia "Pascha nostrum" (Paul Guttry, soloist) -- Hymn, "Ut queant laxis" -- Alleluia "Pascha nostrum" / Leoninus (Jason McStoots, soloist) -- Alleluia "Pascha nostrum" / Perotinus (Michael Barrett and Sumner Thompson, soloists (Alleluia) ; Owen McIntosh and Jason McStoots, soloist ("Pascha nostrum") -- Clausula, "Latus est" Mark Sprinkle, soloist) -- Motet, "Immolata paschali victima" (Mark Sprinkle and Jason McStoots) -- "Sumer is icumen in ; Perspice Christicola" -- Motet, "Diex qui porroirt ; En grant dolour ; Aptatur" (Jason McStoots, Mark Sprinkle, and Scott Metcalfe) -- Motet, "Aucun ont trouvâe ; Lonctans me sui ; Annun[tiantes]" Jason McStoots, Michael Barreett, and David McFerrin) -- Motet, "Garrit gallus ; In nova fert" / Philippe de Vitry (Ian Howell, Martin Near, and Scott Metcalfe) -- "Biautâe qui toutes autres pere" / Guillaume de Machaut (Owen McIntosh, Laura Jeppesen, and Scott Metcalfe) -- "Io son un pellegrin" (Owen McIntosh and Sumner Thompson) -- "Musica son" / Francesco Landini (Owen McIntosh, Jason McStoots, and Sumner Thompson) -- "En attendant, Esperance conforte" / Jacob Senleches (Owen McIntosh, Charles Weaver, and Scott Metcalfe) -- "Belle, bonne, sage, plaisant" / Baude Cordier (Martin Near, Charles Weaver, and Scott Metcalfe).

CD performed by Blue Heron (Michael Barrett, Paul Guttry, Ian Howell, David McFerrin, Owen McIntosh, Jason McStoots, Martin Near, Mark Sprinkle, Sumner Thompson, and Paul Max Tipton, voices ; Laura Jeppesen, vielle ; Scott Metcalfe, harp and vielle ; Charles Weaver, lute) ; Scott Metcalfe, director.

"In today's digital landscape, we have the luxury of experiencing music anytime, anywhere. But before this instant accessibility and dizzying array of formats--before CDs, the eight-track tape, the radio, and the turntable--there was only one recording technology: music notation. It allowed singers and soloists to travel across great distances and perform their work with stunning fidelity, a feat that we now very much take for granted. Thomas Forrest Kelly transports us to the lively and complex world of monks and monasteries, of a dove singing holy chants into the ear of a saint, and of bustling activity in the Cathedral of Notre Dame--an era when the only way to share even the simplest song was to learn it by rote, church to church and person to person. With clarity and a sense of wonder, Kelly tells a story that spans five hundred years, leading us on a journey through medieval Europe and showing how we learned to keep track of rhythm, melody, and precise pitch with a degree of accuracy previously unimagined. Kelly reveals the technological advances that led us to the system of notation we use today, placing each step of its evolution in its cultural and intellectual context. Companion recordings by the renowned Blue Heron ensemble are paired with vibrant illuminated manuscripts, bringing the art to life and allowing readers to experience something of the marvel that medieval writers must have felt when they figured out how to capture music for all time."--Publisher's description.