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80-461: The absolute pitch of each line of a non-percussive staff is indicated by the placement of a clef symbol at the appropriate vertical position on the left-hand side of the staff (possibly modified by conventions for specific instruments ). For example, the treble clef , also known as the G clef, is placed on the second line (counting upward), fixing that line as the pitch first G above " middle C ". The lines and spaces are numbered from bottom to top;

160-428: A grand staff . If the neutral clef is used for a single percussion instrument the staff may only have one line, although other configurations are used. The neutral clef is sometimes used where non-percussion instruments play non-pitched extended techniques, such as hitting the body of a string instrument, or having a vocal choir clap, stamp, or snap. However, it is more common to write the rhythms using × noteheads on

240-607: A "tenor C" (C 5 , one octave above middle C). Some, if not all, of the few top Cs in the standard operatic repertoire are either optional—such as in " Che gelida manina " in Puccini's La bohème —or interpolated (added) by tradition, such as in " Di quella pira " from Verdi's Il trovatore ); however, the highest demanded note in the standard tenor operatic repertoire is D 5 , found in " Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire " from Adolphe Adam 's Le postillon de Lonjumeau and " Loin de son amie " from Fromental Halévy's La Juive ). In

320-431: A , g , e , Γ , B , and the round and square b . In later medieval music, the round b was often written in addition to another clef letter to indicate that B ♭ rather than B ♮ was to be used throughout a piece; this is the origin of the key signature . In the polyphonic period up to 1600, unusual clefs were occasionally used for parts with extremely high or low tessituras. For very low bass parts,

400-497: A C-clef on the third space places the notes identically, but this notation is much less common as it is easily confused with the alto and tenor clefs . Such a modified treble clef is most often found in tenor parts in SATB settings, using a treble clef with the numeral 8 below it. This indicates that the pitches sound an octave lower. As the true tenor clef has fallen into disuse in vocal writings, this "octave-dropped" treble clef

480-567: A G-clef on the third line yields the same note placement as a C-clef on the bottom line. Thus there are nine possible distinct clefs when limiting their placement to the lines. All have been used historically: the G-clef on the two bottom lines, the F-clef on the three top lines, and the C-clef on the four bottom lines. The C-clef on the topmost line has also been used, but is equivalent to the F-clef on

560-403: A brace is used for this purpose. When more than one system appears on a page, often two parallel diagonal strokes are placed on the left side of the score to separate them. Four-part SATB vocal settings, especially in hymnals , use a divisi notation on a two-staff system with soprano and alto voices sharing the upper staff and tenor and bass voices on the lower staff. Confusingly,

640-470: A bright, steely timbre. Dramatic tenor roles in operas: The heldentenor (English: heroic tenor ) has a rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice. As its name implies, the heldentenor vocal Fach features in the German romantic operatic repertoire. The heldentenor is the German equivalent of the tenore drammatico, however with a more baritonal quality: the typical Wagnerian protagonist. The keystone of

720-445: A center alto as this creates confusion). When playing the piano or harp, the upper staff is normally played with the right hand and the lower staff with the left hand. In music intended for organ with pedalboard , a grand staff normally comprises three staves, one for each hand on the manuals and one for the feet on the pedalboard. Early Western medieval notation was written with neumes , which did not specify exact pitches but only

800-444: A clef, the notes represented by the positions on the staff can be modified by the key signature or accidentals on individual notes. A clefless staff may be used to represent a set of percussion sounds; each line typically represents a different instrument. A vertical line drawn to the left of multiple staves creates a system , indicating that the music on all the staves is to be played simultaneously. A brace (curly bracket)

880-481: A complete list of the clefs, along with a list of instruments and voice parts notated with them. A dagger (†) after the name of a clef indicates that the clef is no longer in common use. The only G-clef still in use is the treble clef, with the G-clef placed on the second line. This is the most common clef in use and is generally the first clef learned by music students. For this reason, the terms "G-clef" and "treble clef" are often seen as synonymous. The treble clef

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960-412: A few notes below the C 3 . There are many vocal shades to the lyric tenor group, repertoire should be selected according to the weight, colors, and abilities of the voice. Gilbert Duprez (1806–1896) was a historically significant lyric tenor. He was the first tenor to sing on stage the operatic high C from the chest ( ut de poitrine ) as opposed to using falsettone . He is also known for originating

1040-448: A given choir. Orchestral choruses typically call for tenors with fully resonant voices, but chamber or a cappella choral music (choral music sung with no instrumental accompaniment) can rely on baritones singing in falsetto . Even so, one nearly ubiquitous facet of choral singing is the shortage of tenor voices. Most men 18 and older tend to have baritone chest voices, and because of this, many men in choirs tend to prefer singing in

1120-410: A major ninth lower, and are sometimes treated as concert-pitch instruments, using bass clef. The treble clef is also the upper staff of the grand staff used for harp and keyboard instruments . Most high parts for bass-clef instruments (e.g. cello , double bass , bassoon , and trombone ) are written in the tenor clef, but very high pitches may be notated in the treble clef. The viola also may use

1200-425: A range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C 3 ) to the C one octave above middle C (C 5 ). Spinto tenor roles in operas: Also "tenore robusto", the dramatic tenor has an emotive, ringing and very powerful, clarion, heroic tenor sound. The dramatic tenor's approximate range is from the B one octave below middle C (B 2 ) to the B one octave above middle C (B 4 ) with some able to sing up to

1280-438: A reference note to that line—an F-clef fixes the F below middle C , a C-clef fixes middle C, and a G-clef fixes the G above middle C. In modern music notation, the G-clef is most frequently seen as treble clef (placing G 4 on the second line of the staff), and the F-clef as bass clef (placing F 3 on the fourth line). The C-clef is mostly encountered as alto clef (placing middle C on the third line) or tenor clef (middle C on

1360-652: A singer specialize in these roles for an entire career. In French opéra comique , supporting roles requiring a thin voice but good acting are sometimes described as 'trial', after the singer Antoine Trial (1737–1795), examples being in the operas of Ravel and in The Tales of Hoffmann . Tenor buffo or spieltenor roles in operas: All of Gilbert and Sullivan 's Savoy operas have at least one lead lyric tenor character. Notable operetta roles are: There are four parts in barbershop harmony : bass, baritone, lead, and tenor (lowest to highest), with "tenor" referring to

1440-422: A single staff. Another tenor clef variant, formerly used in music for male chorus , has a ladder-like shape. This C-clef places the C on the third space of the staff, and is equivalent to the sub-octave treble clef . See also History . A C-clef on the second line of the staff is called the mezzo-soprano clef, rarely used in modern Western classical music. It was used in 17th century French orchestral music for

1520-422: A treble clef with a diagonal line through the upper half of the clef to indicate octave pitch, but this is not always used. To indicate that notes sound an octave higher than written, a treble clef with an 8 positioned above the clef may be used for penny whistle , soprano and sopranino recorder , and other high woodwind parts. A treble clef with a 15 above (sounding two octaves above the standard treble clef)

1600-454: Is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff . Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines or four spaces, which defines the pitches on the remaining lines and spaces. The three clef symbols used in modern music notation are the G-clef , F-clef , and C-clef . Placing these clefs on a line fixes

1680-438: Is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types . It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below middle C to the G above middle C (i.e. B 2 to G 4 ) in choral music, and from the second B flat below middle C to the C above middle C (B ♭ 2 to C 5 ) in operatic music, but

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1760-513: Is attributed to Guido d'Arezzo (990–1050), whose four-line staff is still used (though without the red and yellow coloring he recommended) in Gregorian chant publications today. Five-line staves appeared in Italy in the 13th century and it was promoted by Ugolino da Forlì ; staves with four, five, and six lines were used as late as 1600. Clef A clef (from French: clef 'key')

1840-463: Is created. Typically, the upper staff uses a treble clef and the lower staff has a bass clef . In this instance, middle C is centered between the two staffs, and it can be written on the first ledger line below the upper staff or the first ledger line above the lower staff. Very rarely, a centered line with a small C clef is written, and usually used to indicate that B, C, or D on the line can be played with either hand (ledger lines are not used from

1920-519: Is more common than stave in both American English and British English , with the latter being, in fact, a back-formation from the plural staves . The plural staffs also exists for staff in both American and British English, alongside the traditional plural staves . In addition to the pronunciations expected from the spellings, both plural forms are also pronounced / s t æ v z / in American English. The vertical position of

2000-441: Is often called the tenor clef. The same clef is sometimes used for the octave mandolin . This can also be indicated with two overlapping G-clefs. Tenor banjo is commonly notated in treble clef. However, notation varies between the written pitch sounding an octave lower (as in guitar music and called octave pitch in most tenor banjo methods) and music sounding at the written pitch (called actual pitch). An attempt has been made to use

2080-479: Is rare. The only F-clef still in use is the bass clef, with the clef placed on the fourth line. Since it is the only F-clef commonly encountered, the terms "F-clef" and "bass clef" are often regarded as synonymous. Bass clef is used for the cello , double bass and bass guitar , bassoon and contrabassoon , bass recorder , trombone , tuba , and timpani . It is used for baritone horn or euphonium when their parts are written at concert pitch, and sometimes for

2160-433: Is used for the garklein (sopranissimo) recorder . An F-clef can also be notated with an octave marker. While the F-clef notated to sound an octave lower can be used for contrabass instruments such as the double bass and contrabassoon , and the F-clef notated to sound an octave higher can be used for the bass recorder, these uses are extremely rare. In Italian scores up to Gioachino Rossini 's Overture to William Tell ,

2240-432: Is used to join multiple staves that represent an instrument, such as a piano, organ, harp, or marimba. A bracket is an additional vertical line joining staves to show groupings of instruments that function as a unit, such as the string section of an orchestra. Sometimes a second bracket is used to show instruments grouped in pairs, such as the first and second oboes or first and second violins in an orchestra. In some cases,

2320-524: Is yet another distinct tenor type. In Mozart singing, the most important element is the instrumental approach of the vocal sound which implies: flawless and slender emission of sound, perfect intonation, legato, diction and phrasing, capability to cope with the dynamic requirements of the score, beauty of timbre, secure line of singing through perfect support and absolute breath control, musical intelligence, body discipline, elegance, nobility, agility and, most importantly, ability for dramatic expressiveness within

2400-484: The tenore di grazia , the leggero tenor is essentially the male equivalent of a lyric coloratura . This voice is light, agile, and capable of executing difficult passages of fioritura . The typical leggero tenor possesses a range spanning from approximately C 3 to E 5 , with a few being able to sing up to F 5 or higher in full voice . In some cases, the chest register of the leggero tenor may extend below C 3 . Voices of this type are utilized frequently in

2480-427: The alto and soprano . Men's chorus usually denotes an ensemble of TTBB in which the first tenor is the highest voice. Whilst certain choral music does require the first tenors to ascend the full tenor range, the majority of choral music places the tenors in the range from approximately B 2 up to A 4 . The requirements of the tenor voice in choral music are also tied to the style of music most often performed by

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2560-400: The leggero repertoire, the highest note is F 5 (Arturo in "Credeasi, misera" from Bellini 's I puritani ), therefore, very few tenors have this role in their repertoire without transposition (given the raising of concert pitch since its composition), or resorting to falsetto . In SATB four-part mixed chorus, the tenor is the second lowest vocal range, above the bass and below

2640-404: The 15th century it came to signify the male voice that sang such parts. All other voices were normally calculated in relation to the tenor, which often proceeded in longer note values and carried a borrowed Cantus firmus melody. Until the late 16th-century introduction of the contratenor singers, the tenor was usually the lowest voice, assuming the role of providing a foundation. It was also in

2720-411: The 18th century that "tenor" came to signify the male voice that sang such parts. Thus, for earlier repertoire, a line marked 'tenor' indicated the part's role, and not the required voice type; indeed, even as late as the eighteenth century, partbooks labelled 'tenor' might contain parts for a range of voice types. The vocal range of the tenor is the highest of the male voice types . Within opera ,

2800-410: The 19th century, the most common arrangement for vocal music used the following clefs: In more modern publications, four-part music on parallel staffs is usually written more simply as: This may be reduced to two staffs, the soprano and alto sharing a staff with a treble clef, and the tenor and bass sharing a staff marked with the bass clef. Clef combinations played a role in the modal system toward

2880-419: The 20th century. The C-clef was formerly written in a more angular way, sometimes still used, or, more often, as a simplified K -shape when writing the clef by hand: [REDACTED] In modern Gregorian chant notation the C clef is written (on a four-line staff) in the form [REDACTED] and the F clef as [REDACTED] The flourish at the top of the G-clef probably derives from a cursive S for "sol",

2960-415: The C one octave above middle C (C 5 ). Many successful dramatic tenors though have historically avoided the coveted high C in performance. Their lower range tends to extend into the baritone tessitura or, a few notes below the C 3 , even down to A♭ 2 . Some dramatic tenors have a rich and dark tonal colour to their voice (such as the mature Enrico Caruso ) while others (like Francesco Tamagno ) possess

3040-452: The C-clef for middle parts, and the F-clef for low parts. Transposing instruments can be an exception to this—the same clef is generally used for all instruments in a family, regardless of their sounding pitch. For example, even the low saxophones read in treble clef. A symmetry exists surrounding middle C regarding the F-, C- and G-clefs. C-clef defines middle C whereas G-clef and F-clef define

3120-732: The German System (often in the combined forms Liniensystem or Notensystem ) may refer to a single staff as well as to the Akkolade (from the French) or system in the English sense; the Italian term is accollatura . When music on two staves is joined by a brace , or is intended to be played at once by a single performer (usually a keyboard instrument or harp ), a grand staff ( American English ) or great stave ( British English )

3200-630: The Spinto Fach is the Jugendlicher Heldentenor and encompasses many of the Dramatic tenor roles as well as some Wagner roles such as Lohengrin and Stolzing. The difference is often the depth and metal in the voice where some lyric tenors age or push their way into singing as a Spinto giving them a lighter tone and a Jugendlicher Heldentenor tends to be either a young heldentenor or true lyric spinto. Spinto tenors have

3280-496: The ability to create distinct voices for his characters. This voice specializes in smaller comic roles. The range of the tenor buffo is from the C one octave below middle C (C 3 ) to the C one octave above middle C (C 5 ). The tessitura of these parts ranges from lower than other tenor roles to very high and broad. These parts are often played by younger tenors who have not yet reached their full vocal potential or older tenors who are beyond their prime singing years. Only rarely will

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3360-401: The actual written pitch. (see "Octave clefs" below). When the F-clef is placed on the fifth line, it is called the sub-bass clef. It was used by Johannes Ockeghem and Heinrich Schütz to write low bass parts, by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for low notes on the bass viol, and by J. S. Bach in his Musical Offering . It is the same as the treble clef, but two octaves lower. A C-clef on

3440-459: The bass guitar, etc.), with numbers on the lines showing which fret, if any, should be used and symbols for specific techniques. Before the advent of clefs, the reference line of a staff was simply labeled with the name of the note it was intended to bear: F , C , or sometimes G . These were the most common 'clefs', or litterae clavis (key-letters), in Gregorian chant notation. Over time

3520-399: The bass section (though true basses are even rarer than tenors). Many baritones sing tenor even if they are not able to cover the full range in only their chest voice, and sometimes contraltos sing the tenor part. In men's choruses that consist of four male vocal parts (TTBB; tenor 1, tenor 2, bass 1, bass 2), tenors will often sing both in chest voice and falsetto, extending the vocal range of

3600-449: The bassoon, cello, euphonium, double bass, and tenor trombone . Treble clef may also be used for the upper extremes of these bass-clef instruments. Tenor violin parts were also written in this clef (see e.g. Giovanni Battista Vitali 's Op. 11). It was used by the tenor part in vocal music but its use has been largely supplanted either with an octave version of the treble clef or with bass clef when tenor and bass parts are written on

3680-401: The bottom line is the first line and the top line is the fifth line . The musical staff is analogous to a mathematical graph of pitch with respect to time . Pitches of notes are given by their vertical position on the staff and notes are played from left to right. Unlike a graph, however, the number of semitones represented by a vertical step from a line to an adjacent space depends on

3760-435: The choir. Within the tenor voice type category are seven generally recognized subcategories: leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, Mozart tenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor. There is considerable overlap between the various categories of role and of voice-type; some tenor singers have begun with lyric voices but have transformed with time into spinto or even dramatic tenors. Also known as

3840-488: The cor anglais was written in bass clef an octave lower than sounding. The unmodified bass clef is so common that performers of instruments whose ranges lie below the staff simply learn to read ledger lines. Main Article: Percussion Notation The neutral or percussion clef is not a true clef like the F, C, and G clefs. Rather, it assigns different unpitched percussion instruments to

3920-451: The end of the 16th century, and it has been suggested certain clef combinations in the polyphonic music of 16th-century vocal polyphony are reserved for authentic (odd-numbered) modes, and others for plagal (even-numbered) modes, but the precise implications have been the subject of much scholarly debate. Reading music as if it were in a different clef from the one indicated can be an aid in transposing music at sight since it will move

4000-411: The fourth line). A clef may be placed on a space instead of a line, but this is rare. The use of different clefs makes it possible to write music for all instruments and voices, regardless of differences in range . Using different clefs for different instruments and voices allows each part to be written comfortably on a staff with a minimum of ledger lines. To this end, the G-clef is used for high parts,

4080-501: The heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's Siegfried , an extremely demanding role requiring a wide vocal range and great power, plus tremendous stamina and acting ability. Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this Fach or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore, the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes. Heldentenor roles in operas: A Mozart tenor

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4160-402: The highest part. The tenor generally sings in falsetto voice, corresponding roughly to the countertenor in classical music, and harmonizes above the lead, who sings the melody. The barbershop tenor range is Middle C to A one octave above Middle C, though it is written an octave lower. The "lead" in barbershop music is equivalent to the normal tenor range. In bluegrass music , the melody line

4240-427: The instrument's normal staff, with a comment to indicate the appropriate rhythmic action. For guitars and other fretted instruments, it is possible to notate tablature in place of ordinary notes. This TAB sign is not a clef — it does not indicate the placement of notes on a staff. The lines shown are not a music staff but rather represent the strings of the instrument (six lines would be used for guitar, four lines for

4320-403: The key, and the exact timing of the beginning of each note is not directly proportional to its horizontal position; rather, exact timing is encoded by the musical symbol chosen for each note in addition to the tempo . A time signature to the right of the clef indicates the relationship between timing counts and note symbols, while bar lines group notes on the staff into measures . Staff

4400-419: The lines and spaces of the staff. With the exception of some common drum-kit and marching percussion layouts, the assignment of lines and spaces to instruments is not standardised, so a legend is required to show which instrument each line or space represents. Pitched percussion instruments do not use this clef — timpani are notated in bass clef and mallet percussion instruments are noted in treble clef or on

4480-467: The lowest note in the standard tenor repertoire is widely defined to be B ♭ 2 . However, the role of Rodrigo di Dhu (written for Andrea Nozzari ) in Rossini's rarely performed La donna del lago is defined as a tenor but requires an A ♭ 2 . Within more frequently performed repertoire, Mime and Herod both call for an A 2 . A few tenor roles in the standard repertoire call for

4560-469: The lowest notes of the horn . Baritone and bass voices also use bass clef, and the tenor voice is notated in bass clef if the tenor and bass are written on the same staff. Bass clef is the bottom clef in the grand staff for harp and keyboard instruments . Double bass, bass guitar, and contrabassoon sound an octave lower than the written pitch; some scores show an "8" beneath the clef for these instruments to differentiate from instruments that sound at

4640-503: The name for "G" in solfege . C clefs (along with G, F, Γ, D, and A clefs) were formerly used to notate vocal music. Nominally, the soprano voice parts were written in first- or second-line C clef ( soprano clef or mezzo-soprano clef ) or second-line G clef ( treble clef ), the alto or tenor voices in third-line C clef ( alto clef ), the tenor voice in fourth-line C clef ( tenor clef ) and the bass voice in third-, fourth- or fifth-line F clef ( baritone , bass , or sub-bass clef ). Until

4720-399: The narrow borders imposed by the strict Mozartian style. The German Mozart tenor tradition goes back to the end of the 1920s, when Mozart tenors started making use of Caruso's technique (a tenor who rarely sang Mozart) to achieve and improve the required dynamics and dramatic expressiveness. Mozart tenor roles in operas: A Tenor buffo or spieltenor is a tenor with good acting ability, and

4800-404: The note at the interval of a fifth above middle C and below middle C, respectively. Common mnemonics for the notes on treble clef: For bass clef: Theoretically, any clef may be placed on any line. With five lines on the staff and three clefs, there are fifteen possibilities for clef placement. Six of these are redundant because they result in an identical assignment of the notes—for example,

4880-404: The notehead on the staff indicates which note to play: higher-pitched notes are marked higher on the staff. The notehead can be placed with its center intersecting a line ( on a line ) or in between the lines touching the lines above and below ( in a space ). Notes outside the range of the staff are placed on or between ledger lines —lines the width of the note they need to hold—added above or below

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4960-461: The notes in the same staff positions as the bass clef, but two octaves higher. When the F-clef is placed on the third line, it is called the baritone clef. Baritone clef was used for the left hand of keyboard music (particularly in France; see Bauyn manuscript ) and for baritone parts in vocal music. A C-clef on the fifth line creates a staff with identical notes to the baritone clef, but this variant

5040-494: The operas of Rossini , Donizetti , Bellini and in music dating from the Baroque period. Leggero tenor roles in operas: The lyric tenor is a warm graceful voice with a bright, full timbre that is strong but not heavy and can be heard over an orchestra. Lyric tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C 3 ) to the D one octave above middle C (D 5 ). Similarly, their lower range may extend

5120-579: The pitches roughly in parallel to the written part. Key signatures and accidentals need to be accounted for when this is done. For use with computer systems, the Unicode Consortium has created code points for twelve different clef symbols as part of a repertoire called the "Musical Symbols" block . Although much of the list was established by 1999, general provision of these symbols in common computer fonts remains rather limited. The clef symbols provided are these: Tenor A tenor

5200-509: The range can extend at either end. Subtypes of tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor . The name "tenor" derives from the Latin word tenere , which means "to hold". As noted in the "Tenor" article at Grove Music Online : In polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the [tenor was the] structurally fundamental (or 'holding') voice, vocal or instrumental; by

5280-525: The right hand of keyboard music (particularly in France – see Bauyn manuscript ), in vocal music for sopranos, and sometimes for high viola da gamba parts along with the alto clef. It was used for the second violin part ('haute-contre') in 17th century French music. Starting in the 18th century, music for some instruments (such as guitar ) and for the tenor voice have used treble clef, although they sound an octave lower. To avoid ambiguity, modified clefs are sometimes used, especially in choral writing. Using

5360-491: The role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor . Lyric tenor roles in operas: The spinto tenor has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling the voice to be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes with less strain than the lighter-voice counterparts. Spinto tenors have a darker timbre than a lyric tenor, without having a vocal color as dark as many (not all) dramatic tenors. The German equivalent of

5440-609: The same clef persisted until very recent times. The F-clef was, until as late as the 1980s in some cases (such as hymnals), or in British and French publications, written like this: [REDACTED] In printed music from the 16th and 17th centuries, the C clef often assumed a ladder-like form, in which the two horizontal rungs surround the staff line indicated as C: [REDACTED] ; this form survived in some printed editions ( see this example , written in four-part men's harmony and positioned to make it equivalent to an octave G clef) into

5520-410: The second viola or first tenor part ('taille') by such composers as Lully, and for mezzo-soprano voices in operatic roles, notably by Claudio Monteverdi . Mezzo-soprano clef was also used for certain flute parts during renaissance, especially when doubling vocal lines. In Azerbaijani music , the tar uses this clef. A C-clef on the first line of the staff is called the soprano clef. It was used for

5600-457: The shape of the melodies, i.e. indicating when the musical line went up or down; presumably these were intended as mnemonics for melodies which had been taught by rote. During the 9th through 11th centuries a number of systems were developed to specify pitch more precisely, including diastematic neumes whose height on the page corresponded with their absolute pitch level (Longobardian and Beneventan manuscripts from Italy show this technique around

5680-532: The shapes of these letters became stylised, leading to their current versions. Many other clefs were used, particularly in the early period of chant notation, keyed to many different notes, from the low Γ ( gamma , the G on the bottom line of the bass clef) to the G above middle C (written with a small letter g ). These included two different lowercase b symbols for the note just below middle C: round for B ♭ , and square for B ♮ . In order of frequency of use, these clefs were: F , c , f , C , D ,

5760-418: The staff. Which staff positions represent which notes is determined by a clef placed at the beginning of the staff. The clef identifies a particular line as a specific note, and all other notes are determined relative to that line. For example, the treble clef puts the G above middle C on the second line. The interval between adjacent staff positions is one step in the diatonic scale . Once fixed by

5840-615: The third line of the staff is called the alto or viola clef. It is currently used for viola , viola d'amore , alto trombone , viola da gamba , and mandola . It is also associated with the countertenor voice and sometimes called the countertenor clef. A vestige of this survives in Sergei Prokofiev 's use of the clef for the cor anglais in his symphonies. It occasionally appears in keyboard music (for example, in Brahms 's Organ Chorales and John Cage 's Dream for piano ). It

5920-428: The third line, giving a total of ten historically attested clefs placed on the lines. In addition, the C-clef has been used on the third space , i.e. not on a line at all. The ten clefs placed on lines (two are equivalent) have different names based on the tessitura for which they are best suited. In modern music, only four clefs are used regularly: treble clef , bass clef , alto clef , and tenor clef . Of these,

6000-455: The treble and bass clefs are by far the most common. The tenor clef is used for the upper register of several instruments that usually use bass clef (including cello , bassoon , and trombone ), while the alto is most prominently used by the viola . Music for instruments and voices that transpose at the octave is generally written at the transposed pitch, but is sometimes seen written at concert pitch using an octave clef . This section shows

6080-506: The treble clef for very high notes. The treble clef is used for the soprano , mezzo-soprano , alto , contralto and tenor voices. Tenor voice parts sound an octave lower and are often written using an octave clef (see below) or a double-treble clef. A G-clef placed on the first line is called the French clef, or French violin clef. It was used in France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for violin music and flute music. It places

6160-409: The year 1000). Digraphic notation, using letter names similar to modern note names in conjunction with the neumes, made a brief appearance in a few manuscripts, but a number of manuscripts used one or more horizontal lines to indicate particular pitches. The treatise Musica enchiriadis ( c.  900 ) uses Daseian notation for indicating specific pitches, but the modern use of staff lines

6240-605: The Γ clef is found on the middle, fourth, or fifth lines of the staff (e.g., in Pierre de La Rue ’s Requiem and in a mid-16th-century dance book published by the Hessen brothers); for very high parts, the high-D clef ( d ), and the even higher ff clef (e.g., in the Mulliner Book ) were used to represent the notes written on the fourth and top lines of the treble clef, respectively. The practice of using different shapes for

6320-414: Was historically used to mark a treble, or pre-pubescent, voice part. Instruments that use the treble clef include violin , flute , oboe , cor anglais , all clarinets , all saxophones , horn , trumpet , cornet , vibraphone , xylophone , mandolin , recorder , bagpipe and guitar . Euphonium and baritone horn are sometimes treated as transposing instruments, using the treble clef and sounding

6400-448: Was originally used for alto parts in choral music to reduce the number of ledger lines needed, since much of the alto range is between treble and bass clef. Alto parts are now commonly written in treble clef instead. A C-clef on the fourth line of the staff is called tenor clef. It is used for the viola da gamba (rarely, and mostly in German scores; otherwise the alto clef is used) and for upper ranges of bass-clef instruments such as

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