Before the invention of sound recording at the end of the 19th century, notation was the only way that music could be recorded, reproduced, transported and disseminated.  Notation in Western Europe was developed in the 9th century as a way to standardise and control musical practice within the church; since that time, notation has been inextricably linked to musical style and cultural context.  In order to deeply understand the music of the past, it is therefore necessary to understand how it was written.  In this course, students will learn the techniques and contexts of music notation from the 9th to the 17th centuries, when the notation system we still use today was standardised; this is vital knowledge for the study of Medieval and Renaissance music.