Si

What it means

Si is the seventh syllable of solmization. It did not belong to the original stock, for the medieval hexachord system managed with six syllables; it was added only when the aim became to name the seven-degree octave throughout. Its name is explained from the initials of “Sancte Iohannes”, the closing words of the hymn Ut queant laxis, from which the other syllables are also taken. Who introduced the syllable, and when, is not established. With fixed do it is an absolute note name and corresponds to B natural (German H) — not to B flat (German B), which is there called si bemolle or si bémol.

Musical use

In the Romance-language world, si is the common name for this note, and that is the most important information when translating: a key indication si minore means B minor, si bemolle maggiore means B♭ major.

In substance, with movable do the syllable designates the seventh degree of the major scale, that is, the leading tone, which lies a semitone below the tonic and presses upward. In minor this degree is naturally a whole tone away and is specially raised for the cadence; solmization accordingly knows different syllable forms for this.

Other names

In the English-language tonic sol-fa method, the seventh syllable is called Ti instead of Si. The change goes back to the English music teacher Sarah Glover in the nineteenth century and was meant to ensure that every syllable begins with a letter of its own; Sol and Si would otherwise have shared their initial, which is disruptive in abbreviated writing. In German-language teaching both forms are encountered, while Romance-language countries kept si.

Performance practice

When working with Romance-language sources, remember that si means B, and si bemolle or si bémol means B♭. Sing the degree closely up to the tonic when it has a leading-tone character. And clarify, in mixed groups, whether si or ti is used — both mean the same thing.