Aribo scholastic

Aribo Scholastic ( Aribo Scholast ; Latin: Aribo Scholasticus ; heyday, around 1078 ) is a medieval Benedictine monk , music theorist , author of the treatise Musica (written between 1068 and 1078).

Most of Aribo’s treatise is devoted to the interpretation of the difficult chapter 15 of the “Microrologist” by Guido Aretinsky . In this chapter, with the heading “On the Proper, or Harmonious Melody”, Guido touches upon various compositional and technical aspects of the Gregorian monody, first of all, the formal structure, rhythm and pitch, generally gives the composer instructions on how to achieve a reasonable orderliness and proportionality of music ( harmony) in an aesthetic sense).

Aribo is well-read (hence the nickname "Scholastic," here is a philosophical scholar). Latin antique (especially late antique) scholarship (Augustine, Boethius, Cassiodorus, Isidore, etc.) he skillfully weaves into his own aesthetics. For example, Aribo allegorically interprets the ancient muses in terms of contemporary musical theory : one muse means the human voice, two muses the duality of authentic and plug-in modes, or the dual division of music into heavenly and human, three muses mean three kinds of Greek melodies ( diatonic , chromatic , enharmonic ), four muses - four tetrachords , which cover the entire Guidon (diatonic) scale ^[1] or four main consonances , etc. The second most important source of Aribo's aesthetics is St. Scripture, which is also used to build symbolic allegories. For example, Aribo connects the plural and authentic moods of frets with wealth and poverty, male and female principles. Tetrachords symbolize humility, suffering, the resurrection and ascension of Christ, etc.

Aribo distinguishes between three types of aesthetic and ethical effects of music:

Music has three kinds of pleasantness: 1) the beauty of the melody, as judged by the ear; 2) the beauty of proportionality between voices, notes and words is a matter of reason; 3) the beauty of the similarities and contrasts of six intervals. Everyone can understand the ethical, that is, moral, in music, since it also distributes its beneficence to those who do not understand art.

Critical attitude of Aribo to "light" music:

We should not at all resemble histrions , who, with their seductive joyful singing, do not at all understand the true nature of joyful singing.

Aribo's musical treatise critically published in the series Corpus scriptorum de musica , vol. 2, edited by J.M. Smiths van Wasberge .