Tonic Sol-fa
Preserved but no longer current.
A system of musical notation in which diatonic scales are written always in one way (the keynote being indicated), the tones being represented by syllables or initials, and time and accents by dashes and colons. Tonic is a musical term denoting pertaining to or founded on the keynote; sol and fa are two of the Aretmian Syllables (q.v.Y See also DOH; GAMUT.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tonic Sol-fa” mean?
A system of musical notation in which diatonic scales are written always in one way (the keynote being indicated), the tones being represented by syllables or initials, and time and accents by dashes and colons. Tonic is a musical term denoting pertaining to or founded on the keynote; sol and fa are two of the Aretmian Syllables (q.v.Y See also DOH; GAMUT.
Is “Tonic Sol-fa” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.