A neume (spelled neum in, for instance, the Solesmes publications in English)'s the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation. The word's a Middle English corruption of the ultimately Greek word for breath (pneuma : πνευμα). The earliest neumes were inflective marks which indicated the general shape but not necessarily the exact notes or rhythms to be sung. Later developments included the use… (More on Neumes)