Solfeggio

What it means

Solfeggio designates singing on note syllables — do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti — and the exercises built on it. It serves to hit pitches and intervals securely and to translate notation directly into sound. Two systems stand side by side: the relative one, in which do always designates the tonic of the respective key, and the absolute one, in which do always means the note C, as is usual in Romance languages. Alongside this, the term also designates collections of vocal exercises without text.

Musical use

The method goes back to medieval solmization and has developed further in various schools. Its usefulness lies in the fact that every degree of the scale receives its own name and thereby a recognizable character: the leading tone sounds different from the fifth, and precisely this becomes ingrained through the syllable. In choral work, the relative system eases sight-singing, because patterns are named the same in every key. As a vocal exercise, solfeggio at the same time trains voice leading and agility, because it manages without the distraction of text.

Performance practice

Decide on one system and keep to it; mixing relative and absolute use creates confusion. Practise first the degrees of a scale upward and downward, then leaps to the tonic, and only afterward free melodies. Use hand signs if they are customary in your learning environment — the physical connection helps memory. Sing exercises in several keys, so that the pattern, not the fingering, stays in memory. Keep the volume moderate; it is about precision, not volume.

Bear in mind that the two systems serve different purposes: the relative one trains the recognition of degrees and patterns, the absolute one the binding to fixed pitches. Whoever mixes both loses the benefit of each. Decide and keep to it. In the eighteenth century, solfeggi were also written-out practice pieces for singing, for instance in Naples. With fixed do, use the syllables as note names; with movable do, as degree designations.