The Keys to Music

Sep 28
5 min read

The five lines and four spaces we call a stave have a symbol at the start of the line called a clef. The clef that most people know is called the Treble or G clef and the other popular clef is called the Bass or F clef. But where did these symbols come from?

The Keys to Music. Level 1 Find. TQ Music Student

Musical notation showing C, F, and G clefs on staff lines. Labels on the left indicate clef types. The background is white and grid-lined. — *Based on Music Notation. A Manual of Modern Practice G. Read 1975*

The word clef comes from the Latin word Clavis and means ‘key’. Early music theory specialists saw the clef as literally unlocking the meaning behind the stave. The earliest history is the Latin letter F at the start of a single line of notation often shown with a red line.

Musical notation with unique symbols on a staff line against a plain background, indicating a rhythmic pattern. — *From Music Notation. A Manual of Modern Practice G. Read 1975. Page 10*

A little time passed and a second line was added above the line for F, which provided the interval of a fifth.. This line was red, green or yellow and represented the C above F.

Examples can be seen on this link

https://www.schoyencollection.com/music-notation/english-neumes/easter-missal-english-neumes-ms-2059

F, naturally included the spaces for E below and G above. The new line added B, on the space below and D, on the space above. Gardner, in the book Music Notation. A Manual of Modern Practice suggested the lines were used to draw attention to the semitone on the note below in each instance. A black line was added between the red F-line and the blue G-line to represent the note A. By the twelfth century a fourth line was added in black above the C-line to represent E.

Three parallel lines with bold letters; top and bottom lines are black, middle is green. 'C' on the left of green, 'F' on the left of red. — TQ Generated Image of the four lines and two 'clefs'

13th century manuscripts are mainly in black ink, and 14th century scores (items of music) are usually on red lines. Vocal music did not require more than 4 lines due to the singing range. As instrumental music became more popular, the number of lines required increased varying from six to fifteen lines! An further example of the 4 line staff can be seen on the Cantus website on this link.

Here is an example from the Austrian Music Library showing the red F line and a yellow C line.

Medieval manuscript with Gothic script text in black, red notation on a red staff line. Decorative flourishes on creamy, aged paper. — A selection from a Antiphoner from 1225 Source https://onb.digital/result/100027C7 published with permissions as shown on https://www.onb.ac.at/en/use

By the 14th century the five lined stave or staff had become standard for polyphonic music, this means when there are two or more distinct melodic lines sounding simultaneously, where each line maintains its own independence, rhythm, and character.

In conclusion, the simple clef symbol, derived from the Latin 'Clavis' or 'key', represents a profound evolution in music theory and practice. From the earliest single red line marked with the letter F ^to the gradual addition of coloured and then black lines to manage the semitone, the stave expanded to meet the growing demands of musical complexity. The eventual standardisation to the five-lined stave by the 14th century ⁴, particularly for polyphonic music, successfully bridged the gap between limited vocal ranges and the wider possibilities of instrumental composition. Thus, the Treble (G) and Bass (F) clefs that are familiar today are not arbitrary marks, but the refined legacy of a centuries-long quest to visually unlock the meaning of sound on the page.

Practice drawing the F clef and G clef clef on the worksheets available for download below.

Steps to draw a G clef in 6 stages on music staff lines. Below, blank staves invite practice. Text: "Draw a G clef, in stages, on the lines below." — Step-by-step guide on how to draw a G clef, followed by practice lines for handwriting development.

Steps to draw an F clef are shown above three staves. Text reads "Draw a F clef, in stages, on the lines below." Below are eight blank staves. — Step-by-step guide to drawing an F clef, with practice staff lines provided below for students to refine their notation skills.

Free Worksheet Download

Quiz

What is the origin of the word "clef" and what did early music theorists believe its function to be?
Which two clefs are most commonly known today, and what letters do they correspond to?
Describe the earliest form of notation involving a clef mentioned in the text. What distinguished this early notation?
How was the second line added to early notation, and what note did it represent in relation to the initial F-line?
According to Gardner, what was the purpose of using coloured lines in early music notation, specifically regarding the semitone?
When was a black line added between the red F-line and the blue G-line, and which note did it represent?
By what century was a fourth line added above the C-line, and what note did it represent?
How did the appearance of manuscripts change between the 13th and 14th centuries regarding ink colour and line colour?
Why did vocal music generally not require more than four lines in its notation?
What historical development led to an increase in the number of lines required for music notation, and how many lines could be involved?

Glossary of Key Terms

Bass Clef (F clef): One of the two most popular clefs used today, corresponding to the letter F. It indicates the pitch of notes on the lower part of the musical range.
Clef: A symbol placed at the beginning of a stave to indicate the pitch of the notes written on it. The word comes from the Latin "Clavis," meaning 'key'.
Clavis: The Latin word for 'key', from which the English word 'clef' is derived.
F clef: See Bass Clef.
Interval of a Fifth: A musical interval encompassing five staff positions (lines and spaces), for example, from F to C.
Music Notation: The written system used to represent musical sounds, including pitch, rhythm, and other musical elements.
Neumes: Early forms of musical notation used before the development of modern staff notation, typically indicating melodic direction without precise pitch. (Though not explicitly defined, it appears in an image caption, so its context is helpful).
Semitone: The smallest musical interval in Western music, also known as a half step.
Stave: The set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which musical notes are written. Also commonly called a staff.
Treble Clef (G clef): One of the two most popular clefs used today, corresponding to the letter G. It indicates the pitch of notes on the upper part of the musical range.

Reference list

Austrian Digital Library (2025). Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. [online] Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Available at: https://www.onb.ac.at/ [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025]. https://viewer.onb.ac.at/100027C7.
Bent, I. (n.d.). Musical Notation - Evolution of Western Staff Notation. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/musical-notation/Evolution-of-Western-staff-notation [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
Cantus Ultimus (2025). Cantus Ultimus. [online] Simssa.ca. Available at: https://cantus.simssa.ca/manuscript/588309/?folio%5B0%5D=153r&chant=1&pageAlias=Folio%20153r [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
Read, G. (1979). Music Notation. a Manual of Modern Practice.... Second Edition ed. [online] Taplinger Publishing Company. Available at: https://archive.org/details/musicnotationman00read [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
Vatican Library (2025). DigiVatLib. [online] Vatlib.it. Available at: https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Arch.Cap.S.Pietro.B.79/0001 [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].