Solfege. What is it and why does Yamaha use it?

I’m sure many of you parents have often wondered what solfege is.  I know all of you remember what movie made solfege popular – The Sound of Music – (remember “Do a Deer”?)  Solfege has been around in music for many, many years.

Definition:

Solfege itself is the singing of scales, intervals, and melodic exercises to solmization syllables.  The term also has been used to encompass all aspects of the teaching of basic music skills.  Solmization is the designation of pitches by means of conventional syllables rather than letter names.  For example, in Yamaha, the note ‘C’ is called DO.  This is called fixed do solfege.

History:

Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Byzantine cultures used early forms of solmization , some which are still in use.  The system that has survived into modern Western use, first recorded in the early 11th century, is traditionally associated with Guido of Arezzo.  Guidonian solmization is based on the text and tune of the hymn Ut queant laxis, (Lois can play it for you!) in which the first six lines begins one step higher than the previous lines, thus forming a hexachord.  (Don’t worry about that term.  A hexachord is just a collection of six pitches!)  Guido’s syllables were ut, re, mi, fa sol, and la. Ti (or Si) was added to the original six in 1600.  Here is the hymn:

Solfege and Yamaha:

Solfege is widely used all over the world.  Yamaha calls solfege “the child’s inner teacher.”  By internalizing pitches, intonation (tuning), expression, phrasing, and articulation, the child is guided to express music independently.  An added bonus is the acquisition of absolute pitch, or relative pitch.  Solfege is the essential factor of any kind of music education.  Through Yamaha, the children become actively involved in music and can enjoy creating music the rest of their lives.

Sources:
1.  Randel, Don Michael ed. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music; Cambridge, Mass, 1986.
2.  Junior Music Course Teaching Guide, Yamaha Music Foundation, Japan.