Johannes Cotto facts for kids

Johannes Cotto (also known as John Cotton or Johannes Afflighemensis) was a very important music expert who lived around the year 1100. He might have been from England, but he probably worked in southern Germany or Switzerland.

Johannes Cotto wrote one of the most famous books about music from the Middle Ages. It was called De musica (which means "About Music"). This book gave clear instructions on how to create chants and a type of early harmony called organum.

Who was Johannes Cotto?

We don't know much about Johannes Cotto's life. Even his true identity has been a bit of a mystery for historians!

People once thought he was from a place called Lorraine or Flanders. This was because of a special message he wrote in his book. However, newer clues suggest he might have been an Englishman named John Cotton. This John Cotton may have worked near St. Gallen in modern-day Switzerland.

Some of these clues include his knowledge of specific chants from that area. He also used unique music notes found only in southern Germany. Plus, he used old Greek names for musical scales, like Phrygian and Mixolydian. This was mostly done in Germany at the time.

His Famous Book: De musica

Johannes Cotto's book, De musica, was one of the most copied and shared music books of the medieval period. People were still making copies of it even after the year 1400! It was likely written around 1100.

His ideas and examples in the book match the music being made at the time. For example, it's similar to music from the St. Martial school and the Codex Calixtinus.

What was De musica about?

De musica has twenty-seven chapters and covers many different music topics. Unlike some other old books, it was a practical guide for musicians. It didn't focus on deep philosophical ideas. Instead, it showed musicians how to do things.

Johannes Cotto got many of his ideas from earlier music experts. These included people like Guido of Arezzo and Boethius.

The book starts by explaining music notation and musical intervals. It also talks about musical modes, which are like different types of scales. Then, it explains how to compose chants.

Composing Music in the Middle Ages

One of the most interesting parts of De musica for today's experts is its detailed guide on how to compose organum. Organum was an early form of harmony.

Most of Johannes Cotto's examples show how to add a second voice to a chant. He taught musicians how to make the two voices end nicely together. He also stressed the importance of "contrary motion." This is when one voice goes up while the other goes down. This was different from earlier music where voices often moved in the same direction.

Johannes Cotto also described a type of organum where several notes in one voice were sung against just one note in the main chant. This was an early step towards polyphony. Polyphony is when music has more than one independent melody playing at the same time.

Johannes Cotto might have been a composer himself. No music written by him has survived. But his clear and practical advice on writing melodies suggests he knew a lot about creating music. He gave tips on how to pace a melody and use high and low notes.

The Mystery of Johannes Cotto

Several copies of De musica still exist today. Some are in Vienna, and others are in cities like Paris and Rome. One copy, which was used for an early printed edition, was sadly destroyed in a fire in 1768.

The exact date when the book was written is not known. Some copies just call it "Joannis Musica" (John's Music). Other copies include the name Cotton or Cottonius.

One old theory suggested that Pope John XXII wrote the book. However, this is unlikely because the book seems much older. Another idea was that a monk named "Joannes Scolasticus" wrote it. But there's no strong reason to believe this.

Most evidence points to the book being written by the unknown Englishman, John Cotton. From the clues inside the book, it seems to have been written in the late 1000s or early 1100s. This book helps us understand how harmony worked in music during that time.