Enchiriadis
The ninth century 'Enchiriadis' pair of music treatises that first systematized Western polyphony. Their authors are unknown; an old attribution to Hucbald was rejected.
- Original byline
- Anonymous
- Published
- Date not recorded
- Form
- Other works
- Authorship
- Still unknown
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
The authorship story
Musica enchiriadis and its companion commentary Scolica enchiriadis are ninth century Frankish treatises that give the earliest systematic account of polyphonic singing in the West, teaching the parallel organum from which European harmony grew. They circulated widely in monastic schools. For centuries they were attributed to the monk Hucbald of Saint-Amand, an attribution modern scholarship has rejected, leaving the actual authors unidentified. The pair stand at the head of Western music theory, and no one knows who wrote them.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Enchiriadis?
Nobody knows. No author for Enchiriadis has been identified in the documented record.
Can I read Enchiriadis for free?
Yes. Enchiriadis is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at the Internet Archive.
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