His improvement in the method of notation consisted (a perfect anticipation of clef and staff) in placing the letters of the notes employed, before each line of the words, and then writing each syllable of the song, opposite to (and level with) the note to which it belonged. As he adopted the clumsy Greek method of lettering (using only four letters, and placing them upright, reversed, backwards, and sideways) we will give an example with English letters.[263] A _______a-________________________ G ____da-__te_______num____________ F Lau-___________mi-____de-________ E ____________do-__________e_______ D ___________________________cœlis The words being “Laudate Dominum de cœlis.” The harmony of Hucbald was as peculiar and barbaric as his scale system. He followed the principle of the ancients in treating intervals of thirds and sixths as _dissonances_, and therefore did not allow them to appear in his works. In common with some of his predecessors, he held that the only pure intervals were fifths and fourths. To us this succession of discords appears most appalling, but it is probable that in the practical use of music it was ameliorated somewhat. At this time when the organ was in such a primitive state that the organist struck the keys heavily with his _fist_ in playing, the left fist was sometimes allowed to hold a tone (in the manner of an organ point), while the right played a succession of tones with the singers. The constant rejection of sixths and thirds as impure intervals, must ever remain a mystery to us; yet the effect of even this harsh and uncouth singing was deep on those who heard it. History tells us that King Canute was deeply impressed on hearing the monks chant, while being rowed in his boat, near a monastery, and a lady upon hearing the music of the first organ erected in France, went raving mad, from excess of emotion. We will leave the rude harmonies of Hucbald, with a final example showing the succession of fourths used in his _organum_ (or art of composing). The letters T, and S, signify tone and semitone. _______________Do-_____________________________ T_________________mini_________________________ T_Sit_____oria_________in_____cula________bitur S_____glo-_____Do-________sae-_________ta______ T_________________mini_____________lae-________ } etc. T_Sit_____oria_________in_____cula________bitur S_____glo-________________sae-_________ta______ T__________________________________lae-________ Sometimes four voices were thus written on a staff of fifteen lines. Although this system was so cumbrous, yet the right path had been attained, and the progress was continual; little inventions followed one upon the other, and many of the modern usages in music date their rise to this obscure age of Musical History.