Do

What it means

Do is the first syllable of solmization. What it designates depends on the system used: in movable Do it is the root of the respective key and thus a designation of a degree; in fixed Do it is an absolute note name and corresponds to the German c, that is, C.

Musical use

Historically, do is the youngest of the basic syllables. The original series began with ut, obtained from the opening syllable of the first line of a Latin hymn; the other syllables — re, mi, fa, sol, la — come from the following lines. Ut was later replaced by the more singable do, which ends on an open vowel; in French usage, ut has partly survived alongside it.

In the medieval system the syllables designated degrees within a hexachord, that is, a six-note series in which the semitone always lay between mi and fa. When this space was exceeded, one changed by mutation into another hexachord. Later a seventh syllable was added, and the system was reorganized around the octave.

In the Romance-language area the syllables have become fixed note names: do is there C, re D, and so on. In ear training in the German and Anglo-Saxon area, by contrast, movable Do predominates.

Originally the syllable was Ut; it comes from Guido of Arezzo's hymn to John the Baptist, whose lines each begin a note higher. In the seventeenth century the more singable Do prevailed in Italy, while in France Ut remained in use alongside Do to this day. In Romance-language countries Do is at the same time the name of the note C, in the relative system the root of every major key. This double meaning easily leads to misunderstandings between the traditions.

Performance practice

Settle which system you are working in before you use syllables — the same syllable means different things in the two systems. Sing scales and simple melodies on syllables before you play them; the connection of syllable, degree, and sound is the core of the procedure.