Guido d’Arezzo

The statue of Guido d'Arezzo is in Piazza Guido Monaco, a central square not far from the station. 

But who was Guido d'Arezzo?

Guido d'Arezzo is usually known in Italy as Guido Monaco. He was in fact a monk.
Although Guido d’Arezzo is one of the outastanding personalities of the Western culture, his life still remains in large part a mystery. He was educated in Pomposa, an abbey not far from Ravenna, which, in his times, was widely renowned. Life there was not easy for him, as he had fervently started off a reform which, we presume, did not only involve the musical field.  

So he had to leave Pomposa and got to Arezzo around 1025 where Teodaldo, who was Bishop at that time, welcomed him with enthusiasm and appointed him music-and–choir master in the Episcopal school. It was in that period that we think he composed those works such as ‘Aliae Regulae’ ‘Micrologus’ and ‘Regulae Rhytmicae’ that are now considered a milestone in the European musical culture. 

As the diocese of Arezzo was at that time one of the most important in Italy, his musical reform could easily spread thruoghout Central Italy. 

Thanks to Guido Monaco learning music has become much easier. He introduced  a musical system built on the “esacordo” and the use of a whole of four lines, where each dot corresponded to a note.

He wrote all his innovationas in his works: Prologus in Antiphonarium, Epistola ad Michaelem de ignoto cantu and in the treatise Micrologus de musica.