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Glite Dictionary
🎶 Chant with few notes 📜 Early music symbols
neumatic

neumatic

9.9
About the early written signs that show pitch and rhythm in music
  • adjective
  • /njuˈmætɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : neumático
  • He explained how neumatic notation indicates the pitch of notes in early choral music.
  • neumatic notation

Examples

  • Discuss the differences between performing from standard and neumatic notation.

    Academic text (2003)

  • You may want to ask, "Does the neumatic notation give a different 'sense' of how the melodic line should sound?" Guided listening and analysis.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Practice the "Credo" with neumatic notation.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Examples of neumatic notation at http: 62;4703;TOOLONG and 42;4767;TOOLONG.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Pass out copies of "Te dcet hymnus" in neumatic notation.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Examples of neumatic notation (available at http: **62;4594;TOOLONG and **43;4658;TOOLONG).

    Academic text (2003)

  • The choir members struggled to read the neumatic notation during their rehearsal.

  • In medieval music, the use of neumatic notation helped singers interpret melodies accurately.

Surface Forms

neumatic positive

Morphology

neumatic = neume (transparent) = neume + ic

Formed from the noun 'neume' with the adjectival suffix '-ic'; the adjective denotes relation to neumes and is therefore predictable.

Etymology

Neumatic comes from an old Greek word neuma meaning 'sign' or 'breath'. A neume is a small note sign used in early music, so neumatic notation means music written with these small signs to show how to sing.