Clearing up the air between Solfège and Solfeggio frequencies: a brief history
“If you want to find the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
– Nikola Tesla
Let’s delve into one of those secrets of the Universe: Solfeggio frequencies. If you’re a musician, you might say that “Solfeggio” looks a lot like “Solfège”: a pitch recognition method which became the scale of notes you have to learn in music class. However, if you’re someone seeking a physical, emotional or spiritual boost, you’ll turn to Solfeggio frequencies to fine tune yourself. While their stories are intertwined, Solfège and Solfeggio are not quite the same, so before we dive into the world of Solfeggio, let’s try to clear up the confusion.
What is known as Solfège can be traced well before its oft-cited 11th century Benedictine roots, when Guido D’Arezzo created a musical scale that could be easily taught to his fellow monks for use in Gregorian chants. These tones are actually said to go back to King David and the Psalms and were possibly used as well in the Vedic Books of ancient India. In both cases, the tones were applied to texts in a way to enhance the spiritual and healing experience when reading them aloud. In the same way, through its five-note scale, medieval Gregorian chants transcended music into a spiritual healing practice.
Using Pythagoras’ discoveries on the harmony of spheres, a sixth note was added later on. The scale was completed in the 16th century, but mysteriously disappeared soon after. Some say the Solfeggio scale was simply abandoned for a new music scale, others argue that it disappeared among the political and religious turmoil of Western Europe’s Middle Ages. Whatever the cause, the six-tone Solfeggio scale, also known as “Just Intonation”, was replaced by the “Twelve-Tone Equal Temperament”, which is what we still use today to teach music, but has no benefit to our well-being. As such, the healing component was lost for centuries, and what remained was a global method for the systematic teaching of music.
Enter Dr. Joseph Puleo, a naturopathic physician and researcher in the 1970s who rediscovered the healing properties of Solfeggio frequencies.
While studying the Bible, Dr. Puleo noticed a series of repeating patterns in the Book of Numbers that he believed corresponded to a six-tone scale, similar to the original Solfège scale. Using a technique called Pythagorean reduction, he identified six electromagnetic sound frequencies corresponding to the tones of the ancient Solfège scale: 396 Hz, 417 Hz, 528 Hz, 639 Hz, 741 Hz, and 852 Hz. He noted that these frequencies stimulated the brain to promote healing and well-being.
Dr Puleo’s research and his discoveries about these tones would eventually lead him to co-author the best-seller The Healing Codes of Biological Apocalypse with Dr Leonard G Horowitz, thus popularizing frequency medicine.
Dr Glen Reins took the science of Solfeggio frequencies a step further in 1988 with his research on the effects of sound waves on DNA, testing different types of music (Sanskrit mantras, Gregorian chants, classical and rock music). UV light absorption increased the most with Sanskrit mantras and Gregorian chants, promoting DNA repair, while it increased only a little with classical music and actually decreased with rock music, damaging DNA. This groundbreaking work has led to studies on Solfeggio frequencies and the Schumann Resonance (the Earth’s natural electromagnetic frequency) which align with Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma brainwave states. By harmonizing Solfeggio frequencies with the planet’s own vibrations, we open the door to new frontiers in overall health and well-being.