The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi

by Julie Andrews Edwards, Emma Walton Hamilton, Chiara Fedele (Illustrator)

A stunning new picture book from beloved icon Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, that introduces readers to the remarkable story of the development of written music, and speaks to the beauty of music and the power of perseverance. Featuring the illustrated lyrics to “Do-Re-Mi” and an author’s note about Julie Andrews’s connection to the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein song!

Centuries ago, a young Italian monk named Guido longed to find a way to write and teach music. Eventually, he created the musical scale, using the words Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do...one syllable for each note. Though the other monks thought it was a waste of time, Guido's music couldn't be silenced. His discovery remains the foundation for learning music today, and inspired the famous song “Do-Re-Mi,” which Julie Andrews sang in the beloved movie The Sound of Music.

This richly illustrated picture book from beloved icon Julie Andrews and her daughter, bestselling author Emma Walton Hamilton, introduces readers to the remarkable story of Guido d’Arezzo’s development of musical notation. In addition to the lyrics of "Do-Re-Mi" illustrated in full color, the backmatter includes an author’s note, extensive historical notes, and a glossary.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Historical

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews Edwards, DBE is an award-winning English actress, singer, author and cultural icon. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honours. Andrews rose to prominence after starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as musical films like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I expected to like it but it exceeded my expectations.

It’s a sensational and informative book.

I never knew this historical information. I enjoyed learning it. Of course, it makes sense. Someone had to be the first to create a system for written music. This is the story of how Guido d’Arezzo invented a way to share and teach music by creating written music for each note. Up until that time people had to learn songs and hymns by memorizing what they heard others sing. I appreciate how Julie Andrews says that when she first sang the song Do-Re-Mi she did not know this story.

I applaud the choice to have an Italian artist do the illustrations for this book. The art is stunning and fun to view. The style might not always work for me but it was perfect for this book.

I dare anyone not to sing (vs. read) the Do-Re-Mi song at least a couple of times as they read, at least to themselves.

I’ve been a huge fan of Julie Andrews since my childhood when The Sound of Music came out in theaters. I love her singing (she was the very best!) and acting and most importantly she seems like a lovely person. My admiration for her is not why I liked this book as much as I did, even though she is one of the authors and writing about her personal experience in her notes does add to it. On its own it’s just a great book about its subject.

The Sound of Music is my favorite movie. Do-Re-Mi is not my favorite song in it but I like it and I love it in this book. Using it is a wonderful way to tell this true story.

There is a note from the authors to the reader at the start of the book. The end of the book has these short sections: A Note About the Song Do-Re-Mi, a Glossary, A Day in Guido’s Life at Pomposa Abbey, The Guidonian Hand, and A Historical Note that reveals exactly what is known for sure, and the book’s story proper pretty much follows these facts and also adds some plausible details to fill out the story.

I recommend this book to fans of picture book biographies and those interested in the history of music. Highly recommended for everyone really, especially children who are getting or will be getting a music education. If I was buying only one picture book this year this would be the one. It would be so much fun to have on hand to be able to share. Definitely a gift worthy book!

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realized that I had no idea when humans first began to write down music--and you probably don't either! Adults will learn just as much as kids when they read this enlightening story.

[Amanda Zirn Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is most beautiful? This story, these illustrations, or Julie Andrews? Trick question, they're all stunning! Both little and big readers alike will cherish this lovely book about the history of "Do-Re-Mi" before it became the "Doe, a deer, a female deer," we know today!

[Pat Danna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed not only reading but learning about musical notes from Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Hamilton. Who better to write about "do, re, mi" than Julie Andrews! This story is really a picture book biography about Brother Guido d'Arezzo and his creation of the solfege. I loved the historical information at the back of the book.

[Ryal Mcmurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. “The Sound of Music” is one of my favorite movies of all time, so of course I knew the song “Do Re Mi,” but I never knew the story of those notes. Or even how music began to be written down. Or even that before that music wasn’t written down, just passed on, which means that it could change over time according to who remembered what.

This book was quite informative, but like most of Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton’s books, there is a great sense of wonder! A fun read and educational too! If I were a music teacher, I would absolutely use this book in my class! I have always been a fan of Julie Andrews (Edwards)’s books. Recently, though I have appreciated the shift in them to be about the arts and appreciating the arts.

This was a fascinating and fun book!

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book co-authored by Julie Andrews and her daughter! I recall learning this information in a college music history class but had forgotten the name of the monk who developed musical notation. Thankfully, Guido d'Arezzo made it possible for people to read notes on staffs rather than memorizing music that was to be shared.

I appreciated the historical and author notes. The beautiful artwork also added to the story.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Start at the very Beginning!
Where did music notes come from? When were they written?
Meet a young Italian monk, Guido d'Arezzo.
Discover his love of music and how he created the scale we know and use. After all, when you sing you begin with Do-Re-Mi.

Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, join forces to share in this true story, that inspired an iconic song.
Beautifully illustrated by Chiara Fedele

[Nohra Bernal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for music lovers and fans of The Sound of Music. They will surely become fans of Guido D’Arezzo. A fascinating story well researched and beautifully written.
The book includes a glossary, details about Guido’s life and hand technique, as well as other interesting notes.
A true delight.
Now I’m intrigued. Why 7 musical notes and 7 days of the week? Hmm . . .
For now, I will go and research “Ut queant laxis.”

[BookTrib.com]

THE FIRST NOTES: THE STORY OF DO, RE, MI is a richly illustrated picture book from Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton that introduces readers to the remarkable story of Guido d’Arezzo’s development of musical notation.

Read the full review on Booktrib.com

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Notes tells the story of a young monk named Guido who loved music and apparently created the “Do-Re-Me” Solfège. It was interesting learning first that it’s called a Solfège and second where it came from.

[Violinknitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg, the little neumes (old style notes) all over the pages whenever anyone is singing!

This is a lovely book, and a lovely introduction to the origin of solfège.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My music nerd self loved this book. First off, I adore that's it's written by Julie Andrews and her daughter. The woman who first introduced many of us to solfege via Maria von Trapp now tells us more about its history, and I love imagining how her role in The Sound of Music played a part in the creation of this book so many years later. I didn't know the history of solfege, so it was exciting to learn. And the illustrations are lovely. There's one where Guido is skipping happily to show his fellow monks his musical discovery, only for them to scowl and tell him to do something more practical. This illustration will absolutely bring out the little old Southern granny in you, and she will say, "Oh, honey," in the most sad yet affectionate way possible.

So why only 4 stars then? Well, this is history's fault, not the book's. Because I also did not know that originally, solfege had only 6 syllables instead of 7 ("ti" was added later). And this brought up a whole host of existential questions about music theory for me. Like, why did nobody think to add that note until later? How do we even define what gets to be a note and what doesn't? With sharps, flats, whole and half steps, it can get complicated fast if you think too hard about it without a strong music theory background (that's me!). So then I wondered about other musical notation systems from non-Western countries and how they compare to solfege, a topic which I certainly don't have the energy to research right now. Anyhow, none of this matters to the book at all, but yeah...

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Singer, actress, and author Julie Andrews cowrites a book with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton to share a biography of music theorist Guido d'Arezzo with young readers. Brother Guido developed the note system for music in the late 10th C. CE, which is referenced in the Sound of Music Song, "Do, Re, Me."

The story, illustrated by Chiara Fedele, follows Guido from his home in Pomposa Italy to a monastery where he learns to read and write. He also made keen observations about the structure of music and developed a method for writing down the notes and naming them. The other people at the first monastery were unimpressed and asked him to focus on his duties as a Benedictine monk. However, the people at his subsequent monastery supported his efforts. He received even greater opportunities to train singers and to travel to Rome to meet the Pope.

At the end of the biography, the narrative has imagined scenes of Brother Guido and other Benedictine monks enacting scenes from the Rogers and Hammerstein song. For example, for the lyrics "Sew, a needle pulling thread," Brother Guido and two other monks are working on a quilt together at their monastery.

The backmatter contains a variety of resources. A Note About the Song "Do-Re-Me" pays homage to Rogers and Hammerstein, Glossary defines terms about music and monastery life, A Day in Guido's Life at Pomposa Abbey explains the routine that many mediaeval Benedictine monks followed, The Guidonian Hand describes a teaching method Brother Guido developed for teaching music, and (finally), A [sic] Historical Note provides a timeline for Brother Guido's life, which is scant because the source material is scant.

This was an interesting book about the history of music, personal passion, perseverance, and the life of Benedictine monks.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a joy. It’s written by Julie Andrews and her daughter. This is about who notating music began. I learned so much from this book I didn’t know and the joy of the song in the book always makes me smile.

I loved ‘the sound of music’ as a child. I watched it yearly on TV whenever it ran. Our whole family would watch it and sing along. We rented it over and over as well. The story held so much joy.

This uses that as a way to talk about musical notation. Over a thousand years ago, there was no way to write down music. People had to memorize it by ear. It was easy to change music based on memory.

We meet a monk called Guido in a Benedictine monastery who loved music. He kept thinking there had to be a way to notate music in some way. He came up with five notes from the song ‘Ut queant laxis that became solfege. With these five notes, he could write music down and learn it easily.

His notes were squares. My days as a music major, I did see many text from the medieval and Renaissance period that used the square notes. Over time they became round and held time values.

Guido was recognized by the pope for his work. He taught music using his fingers for each tone.

The end of the book does illustrate the Do, Re, Mi song from the movie with Guido. The song lifts me every time. At the end of the book we have facts about his life and the song and Rogers and Hammerstein.

The artwork is mixed media. It hits just the right notes. It is cheerful and sort of sores like the song. There is lovely patterns one finds in a cathedral. What a fantastic book.

Anyone interested in the history of music or the song will love this. There is so much here and Julie is a wonderful author.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an image of Maria von Trapp or Julie Andrews singing the classic song from The Sound of Music; it is Guido d'Arezzoa, monk from the 1000s (aka the eleventh century). He came up with the idea of writing down and naming notes (tones) to teach songs;the notes that would later be used in the mid 1900s song, Do-Re-Mi.
Like Matthew Kelly's Rediscover Catholicism or some of Tomie dePaola's works (i.e. Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi, The Clown of God, Lady of Guadalupe), this is a story that shows the Catholic faith in a positive light.

[Patricia Nozell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The notes of the scale are familiar to many of us, and even to many of our children. But did you ever wonder how, when, or where the musical scale was created?

Andrews and Walton Hamilton provide an answer in this fascinating biography of its creator, a monk named Guido who lived in 11th century Italy, and his musical notation system.

The First Notes is more than the history of the musical notation system. It’s also a fascinating exploration of an invention: Guido identified a problem, the difficulty of teaching music without a written notation system, thought about it, observed that he was only singing six tones in any melody he sang, wrote those tones down as squares ascending a ladder, and named them for the first letters of words in a favorite hymn. Doing so enabled creators to write down melodies and musicians to read and sing music they had never heard. Because of the way Andrews and Walton Hamilton present Guido’s thought process and his invention, I think The First Notes is a fantastic resource to explore the creative process of invention with children.

[Bill Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a good job of sharing a history of music, and how it came to be transcribed. A monk named Guido is featured prominently. He discovers repeating patterns in music and gives them names.

The story is simply told, reading level maybe 3rd or 4th grade. The book is co-authored by Julie Andrew's and her daughter Emma, whose resume as a writer is alao impressive. They have co-authored several books for children, but books that can certainly enlighten or engage all ages.

I enjoyed the book and look forward to giving it to my granddaughter who reads easily at this level.

There is also a dictionary in back helping define harder words.

Music has been a way of life for Ms Andrew's, a as we all have seen many times. Her desire to impact children and write things of interest to them is easily admirable, even as it alao allows for joyful collaboration with her adult daughter Emma in these ventures.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: A thousandyears ago, in the small community of Pomposa, Italy, a boy named Guido was sent to a monastery to begin his schooling. In those days, a monastery was considered the best place to receive an education. The monks who lived and taught there were studious and wise.

Premise/plot: The First Notes is a picture book biography of Guido d'Arezzo, a Benedictine monk who invented musical notation. Guido loved music. Loved it. But it involved a lot of memorization. You learned a song by memory. There was no "reading" music--or "writing" music. There was no way to notate musical notes. Until Guido made a little discovery and invented his own way of writing music so others could read it.

My thoughts: Julie Andrews--and her daughter, Emma--have written the story of 'do, re, mi.' And though I never thought about the history of musical notation [and scales and such], I really loved reading this story. I found it fascinating. I learned so much.

[Nann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Let's start at the very beginning/that's a very good place to start. When you read you begin with A, B, C / when you sing you begin with Do, Re, Mi." We automatically hear Julie Andrews singing that famous song in The Sound of Music. And who better to explain just how musical notation began?
In this charming picture book Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton tell the story about the 11th century Italian Benedictine monk Guido d'Arezzo. "Guidonian Hand" is the term for the notation system he codified.

The story is enhanced with essays about the contemporary song, written by Rogers and Hammerstein; a glossary; a description of life in a medieval monastery; and historical notes.

Children's books can provide just the right amount of information on a topic, as The First Notes proves.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this is everything a picture book biography should be. The story proper is engaging and accessible for the younger picture book crowd, while the extensive back matter dives deeper for older readers (including adults!) providing not only further information on Guido's life and work but also illuminating the daily workings of the Benedictine monks. The illustrations are lovely, making what could have seemed archaic and fusty rich and vibrant. Weaving in The Sound of Music's famous "Do, Re, Mi" could have been incongruent; however, it makes sense in the hands of Julie Andrews herself and shows how the ripples of Guido's work enlighten and enrich modern music lovers, too. It also provided me an opportunity to share that part of the movie with my children, which was a delight for me as it's one of my all-time favorite movies. Highly recommend this gem of a book!

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story of the origin of solfege, reading and writing music. I was not aware of Guido d’Arezzo, the Italian monk who invented the music scale in order to better teach singing to his pupils.

I shared this book with all my grandchildren. My six-year old grandson who loves to sing and dance really appreciated the book and asked to read the story several times.

Children and adults can all enjoy this book. In addition to the tale of Guido d’Arezzo, there is an interesting text about the song Do-Re-Mi and the musical The Sound of Music, as well as some historical notes on Guido’s life. The illustrations are also very lovely.

A shout-out to Lisa Vegan who recommended this book – thanks Lisa! I in turn recommend it to all music lovers.

[Tori Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story: 3 stars
Art: 4 stars

Overview: I appreciated that this gives the story behind the famous song from "The Sound of Music." And who more fitting to write it then Julie Andrews? Although it's a celebrity author (and her daughter), the story is quality and well researched and the art is real (not digital!) which makes this feel more like a passion project than a cash grab - kudos to the team that produced this book! The words-to-picture ratio is pretty high, hence the difficulty rating as this story is better suited to older picture book readers (5 and above). My one critique is that the story does get a little dry in some spots.

Red flags: none

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this as a Christmas gift for a friend's kid, but because I love Julie Andrews (and The Sound of Music) so much, I had to read it myself. It's a delightful book and I dare you not to sing along while reading it, if you are musically inclined (or even if you aren't). The illustrations are beautiful. I also think it's a lovely way to teach kids about a small sliver of the history of music. I really liked that there were historical notes in the back and a glossary of terms as well.
I hope our friend and their kiddo will be equally as delighted.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read! I love to listen to music but I was never taught to read it and I had no idea where the do, re, mi song originated. The music teacher at my school raved about this book so I had to read it for myself. I’m always on the hunt for great narrative nonfiction books to add to my school library collection & this one definitely fits the bill. I learned so much and loved the inclusion of back matter, a typical day in the life of a monk, a glossary and the gorgeous illustrations.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful picture book that shows us how an Italian monk came up with the first musical notation. I loved learning about his story and enjoyed the back notes by Julie Andrews about the famous song, Do-Re-Mi. I liked the inclusion of a glossary, the information page about a day in a the life of Guido at the Abbey, and the information about The Guidonian Hand. There is also a page of historical notes about Guido.

A great book for children and adults, especially for those who have an interest in music.

Thank you to Lisa Vegan for recommending this to me!

[Anne Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever have one of those moments when you realize that what seems like something that has been known or around forever had to be invented. I felt that way when I discovered that the periodic table is a recent-ish invention. And now I know that reading and writing music was invented by a monk in the the 11th century. Before that every form of music had to be memorized. Hard to believe no one figured it out before then. Wow.

Music teachers: Here is a book to read to your classes on those days after concerts when everyone is tired of singing!

[Natalie Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written and colorfully-llustrated book that tells the story of Guido d’Arezzo and his innovative idea for writing down and teaching music. The carefully researched information about this eleventh century monk is concise and engaging for any age reader. A section at the back includes a brief note about the song “Do-Re-Mi“ written by Rogers and Hammerstein, a glossary of terms from the book, a description of life as a Benedictine monk, a paragraph about the Guidonian Hand, and an overview of verified facts about Guido’s life.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical look at the beginnings of musical notation. Yes, there was a time before musical notes as we know them today. Very educational for anyone interested in early music, presented in a light tone. The illustrations are wonderful, giving a true feel for the locales and personages of the time period. I learned a few things myself. A terrific book for children who are interested and involved in music.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story. This is the story of Guido, an Italian monk who first came up with Solfège, our traditional musical scale. I had never before thought about where it came from. We checked this out of the library, but I think I might have to add it to our own personal collection! I love that it was written by Julie Andrews (of “Do-Re-Mi” fame) and her daughter. At the end they even include the lyrics to that famous song, with illustrations. Such a wonderful book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a precious book! I think it is such a great teaching piece. Julie Andrews is so humble in creating this book. We often associate her with Do Re Mi, and she stands back and gives the credit to the creator of the solfeggio scale. I’m not sure if the story is completely true or myth, but either way, it’s a great story. Julie Andrews is such a classic and truly a person with such a beautiful soul!