Meaning & use
Neuma
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A symbol used in early musical notation, especially in Gregorian chant, to indicate the melodic contour of a phrase without specifying exact pitches; a variant spelling of neume.
See it in a sentence
The manuscript preserved a set of neumas above the Latin text, guiding the choir's rise and fall of pitch.
Scholars of medieval music study how neumas evolved into modern staff notation.
A note on using this word
Neuma is an alternate spelling of 'neume,' from the Greek 'pneuma' (breath), reflecting the term's link to the breath and phrasing of sung chant.
Words with a similar meaning
neume
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