ODO OF CLUNY, SAINT

born c. 879, , Maine died Nov. 18, 942, Tours, Touraine ; feast day November 18 French Saint Odon, or Eudes, De Cluny second abbot of Cluny (France), who gained for Cluniac monasteries exemption from all but papal authority and whom Pope John XI authorized to reform monasteries in Gaul and Italy, thereby contributing to the great influence of Cluny during the 10th and 11th centuries. Born into a noble family, Odo was brought up in the household of William of Aquitaine and educated in Paris and Tours. He was elected abbot of Cluny in 927. He traveled widely, frequently participating in secular diplomatic negotiations, as exemplified in his arbitration for Pope Leo VII to end the struggle in Italy between King Hugo of Italy and the Roman aristocrat Alberic II. Although probably spurious, several music-theory writings are traditionally attributed to him, most notably the standard medieval method of designating pitches by letters.