Clearing out all that e-mail to myself.
An argument for the natural basis of music.
By the way, the Aretine ut(do)-re-mi-fa-sol-la (si/ti) syllables has its origins in the leading syllables to the first stanza of the Hymn to St John (Hymnus in Ioannem) by Paulus Diaconis (Deacon Paul Warnefrid), in the eighth century, who wrote histories and homilies as well—he was attached to both the Lombard and Carolingian kingodoms.
Ut queant laxis Resonare fibris
Mira gestorum Famuli tuorum,
Solve polluti Labii reatum,
sancte Iohannes.
Fast forward a few hundred years, Guido d’Arezzo (I’ll just call him Aretine Guy) took the six leading syllables and used them as a mnemonic (solmization, or solfege) to the notes of the scale (dominant G, C, or F). Having only six notes (hexachord) required sliding the ut up to the re and mi notes in order to allow sol and la to catch those higher notes. Why not add another syllable?
In the 17th century, si (Sancte Ioannes) was added. The French singing masters took the Italian ut and si and changed them to do and ti for their dark and francophone purposes, ooh!
some manuscripts,
http://www.mont-bleu.com/eut.htm ,
Catholic Encyclopedia on ut re mi fa sol la
About.com Italian section, translates the stanza thusly: “So that Your servants may sing at the top of one's voices the wonders of Your Acts, absolve the fault from their stained lips.” ...holy John.
Text of the Hymnus entire
More note history for Felicity.
6:12:26 PM 
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