Hucbaldus, de S. Amando

About 840-930

A Benedictine monk, author and musician. He studied music with his uncle Milo at the St. Amand monastery but left when twenty years of age, owing to his uncle's jealousy. Going to Nevers, he established a singing-school. He continued his studies at St. Germain d'Auxerre and about 872 succeeded his uncle at St. Amand. He took charge of a school at St. Bertin and about 893 was called, with Remi d'Auxerre, by the Archbishop of Rheims to reestablish the old church-schools in the diocese. Upon the death of the Archbishop, in 900, he returned to St. Amand. More is known of his work than of his life; his work on harmony being the earliest in which rules are illustrated by practical examples. The tract, De Harmonica Institutione, the only one of his works that has been preserved to us, has two perfect copies. One is in the Paris Library and the other in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. To Hucbaldus is given the credit of having first used parallel lines to indicate the rise and fall of tones. The tract concludes with an account of the descent of Orpheus into Hades, in search of Eurydice.