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The invention of staff notation by the Italian monk Guido around 1020 marked a pivotal point in Western music history. This development allowed for the standardization of musical practice, ensuring uniformity within monastic communities and beyond. The repercussions extended as far as the New World, where Spanish polyphony was introduced to Aztec musicians, leading to a significant cultural exchange.
However, not all consequences of notation were beneficial. Notation constrained music, stripping away its fluid and emotive nature and turning it into a precise, cold representation of notes. By framing music as an object rather than an activity, notation created a separation between composers and performers, distancing the individual from music's inherent participatory joy.