By Kam.
Simple things remain insignificant to those who look at them with the eyes of the body, and immense in their complexity to those who contemplate them with the eye of the spirit. “Martianus Capella”.
If Capella had an Arabic-sounding name, he would have been familiar to world authorities.
Martianus Capella, the child genius of Madaure, emerges as a bewitching figure in the tangled story of Numidia, now Algeria. This enlightened man played a pivotal role in the genesis of solfeggio, a musical notarial arrangement that is still invoked today. His work left an indelible mark on musical teaching and practice.
From a learned and literate lineage, Capella, the Amazigh, breathed the air of the Vᵉ century. Enclosed in Madaure, a land in the shadow of Thagaste, the birthplace of his compatriot and contemporary, the great Saint Augustine, his fame was inscribed in the furrows of his landmark work christened “De nuptiis Philologiae and Mercurii” (Of the marriage of Philology and Mercury). But he also left a significant contribution to musical theory.
In this literary fresco, Capella depicts the seven liberal arts, then established as the pillars of education. Within this edifice, he devoted a chapter to music, setting out his innovative ideas on sound transcription and interpretation. It was here that he laid the foundations of the scale, inspired by the seven stars of ancient cosmology: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon, each chiselled into a melodic note. These notes, like precious stones, correspond to the modern gems C, D, E, F, G, A and B.
Capella doesn’t stop there. He weaves a web of symbols, deploying a system of notation to engrave these fleeting melodies. He used Latin letters to name these sound signs and sketched out the first lines of rhythmic notation.
Martianus Capella’s work laid the foundations of the solfeggio, the backbone of Western music. His writing, like a perpetual song, metamorphosed over the centuries to become the tonal scale we know today.
Although Capella was not the sole architect of this musical construction, his work has left its mark on people’s minds and sown the fertile meadows of musical thought. He inspired a cohort of thinkers and music lovers who, from generation to generation, have built on his legacy.
Martianus Capella stands as the pioneer of solfeggio, shaping the musical staff as we perceive it today. His legacy still resonates in the corridors of music schools and conservatoires. His disciples perpetuate his age-old work, shaping notes and rhythms according to the principles he established nearly fifteen centuries ago.
Homage to a Berber genius: Martianus Capella
