Of course, no, we do not know on what specific day Western music notation was invented… It was a long process with a breakthrough in the 11th century.
But for those of us who would like to celebrate this pivotal moment in history, then June 24th is as legitimate a date as it gets!
Before the codification of music on paper we associate with June 24th, music happened only in time. After this codification, music could exist on a sheet of paper, in space. We celebrate today this interface that makes music available both in time and in space, where it can be shared more broadly.
Why? Because Guido d’Arezzo, the monk who invented what became solfège and music notation, used the hymn sang every year by the monks on June 24th, the Feast of St John the Baptist to extract UT RE MI FA SOL LA , which later became DO RE MI FA SO LA TI…
This story is told very well by this short 4-minute video:
P.S. I maintain another website titled longbeachchant.com where you can find a lot more information on the story of Guido d’Arezzo and its consequences, if you liked what you read so far… Two examples:
UP CLOSE AND CLASSICAL 
Leave a comment