Sol-Fa
/ˈsɒl.fɑː/noun
A system of teaching and representing musical notes using syllables such as do, re, mi, fa, sol, and la.
Did you know?The syllables fa and sol are traditionally traced to words in a Latin hymn, while Guido of Arezzo used them as a revolutionary mnemonic system for singers.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sóh₂wl̥
“Sun; the ancient root behind Latin sol and English sun”
Classical Antiquity
Latin
sol
“The sun; later also the sun-god or the sunlight itself”
8th–10th Century
Medieval Latin
Ut queant laxis
“A hymn to Saint John the Baptist whose successive lines supplied the musical syllables ut, re, mi, fa, and sol”
11th Century
Italian/Latin
fa–sol
“Syllables employed in Guido of Arezzo’s system for teaching singers to recognize intervals and pitches”
17th Century
English
sol-fa
“A method of singing or teaching music through note-names; the compound became established in English”
Modern English
English
sol-fa
“A note-naming and sight-singing system, commonly associated with tonic sol-fa”