At this time, I only heard William say to the two: "Let's go, let's go to the discussion area." ”

The three of them came to a room with carpets and three couches around the fireplace, and Lauren said, "It's a discussion area on the second floor, and it looks like a party salon." ”

William poured each of them a cup of coffee from the automatic coffee machine, and then they sat down on the couch and chatted.

Yu You asked curiously: "Just now, I saw that 'big book' has strange symbols on it, what kind of book is it?" ”

Lauren said thoughtfully, "Have you seen Dan Brown's The Lost Talisman?" I'm guessing it's a magic book, or maybe it's a book of ancient secrets. ”

When William heard this, he laughed and said, "It looks like you're just like me, and you're also a fan of Dan Brown." However, this big book in our school is not a secret talisman......

"What's that?" Lauren and Yu Yu asked in unison.

Wilhelm sipped the aromatic coffee and said, "It is a book called the Gregorian Psalms, which is said to be a manuscript from the 10th or 11th century AD. The yellowed and brittle pages you see are not paper at all, but treated parchment......"

Lauren's eyes widened and she asked, "What is the Gregorian Chant?" ”

Yu Yu flickered his long eyelashes and said, "I heard my piano teacher mention that it was a collection of liturgical music and hymns collected by Pope Gregory I in the sixth century AD, and this book is an important foundation for the development of Western music......"

William listened to Yu You's words, looked at her in surprise and said, "It seems that you know a lot about music?" ”

"I've been learning piano for nine years, and I only know a little bit." When Yu Yu spoke, his eyes were as bright and clear as water.

"You Chinese are really modest, nine years, should be regarded as very accomplished." Lauren approving.

Yu Yu lowered his head in embarrassment.

William felt a burst of joy and said, "Great, our school's choir is recruiting new people, I can refer you there." ”

Yu Yu looked at Lauren noncommittally.

Lauren seemed to see Yu You's thoughts, and said: "It doesn't matter if you haven't sung, you have studied piano for nine years, at least the pitch and musicality should be good." Our school orchestra is huge, 60 percent of the people in the school are members of the orchestra, everyone sings together, and they also go to church activities and some performances outside of school, which is very fun. Then he turned to William and said, "William, do you continue to talk about that big book!" Why does a sheet music book have to be made so big? ”

William smiled kindly, "You know, the choir in a medieval church? Not everyone sings with a sheet music, they have hundreds of complex Greek and Latin chants in their minds. In the 10th century, there was a great deal of polyphonic music, with multi-part duets or chorus hymns and masses. I suspect that in a church in medieval Europe, the priest copied the Gregorian Psalms on this huge book in order to place it in a place where each of them could see it when the choir sang it, as a reminder. A color-coded block on the page represents a specific voice, and it is clear when that part is added and when it ends. ”

Lauren looked at William with admiration and asked, "But there are no staves on that big book, but all colorful symbols." ”

"If this is an 11th-century manuscript, the staff should not have been invented at that time, and I remember that the Greek notation was lost at that time, and they should have used Neum notation to record the tunes, right?" Neum notation started with only one line, and later developed to four lines, which is the prototype of the staves. ”

Lauren said with a sense of understanding: "So, there are two elements in this book that have contributed to world music, one is the Gregorian Chant and the other is the Neum score?" ”

William nodded and said, "I think so. However, this book is especially precious for another reason......"

Both Lauren and Yuu looked at him, expecting him to continue.

William said: "In a passage of school history that I once read, it is recorded that this book is the most precious private collection of Arthur Arnold, the founder of our school, who and his disciples sailed from continental Europe to the United States and brought it to the United States in good condition. He founded our school, and during his forty or fifty years as headmaster, he decided to auction off his beloved book in exchange for funds, but a kind gentleman bought it off at a high price and returned it to its owner. ”

Yu You exclaimed: "I didn't expect there to be such an unknown story behind this book......"

"yes, there's a lot of stories to tell in every house in our school," Lauren said......