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Accent (music)
Encyclopedia
In music
, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note,
either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark.
Accents contribute to the articulation
and prosody
of a performance of a musical phrase.
Compared to surrounding notes:
Accents which do not correspond to the stressed beats
of the prevailing meter
are said to be syncopated (See syncopation
).
In music notation, an accent mark indicates a louder dynamic
to apply to a single note or an articulation
mark. The most common is the horizontal accent, the fourth symbol in the diagram above; this is the symbol that most musicians mean when they say accent mark. The vertical accent, third in the diagram, may be stronger or weaker than the horizontal accent; composers have never been consistent in using these markings. In most musical works this type of accent is meant to be played more forcefully and usually shorter. The remaining marks typically shorten a note.
Even when these symbols are absent, experienced musicians will introduce the appropriate gesture according to the style
of the music.
marks, notated as follows:
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note,
either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark.
Accents contribute to the articulation
Articulation (music)
In music, articulation refers to the musical direction performance technique which affects the transition or continuity on a single note or between multiple notes or sounds.- Types of articulations :...
and prosody
Prosody (music)
In music, Prosody is the way the composer sets the text of a vocal composition in the assignment of syllables to notes in the melody to which the text is sung. For example, a songwriter might align downbeats or accents with stressed syllables or important words....
of a performance of a musical phrase.
Compared to surrounding notes:
- A dynamic accent or stress accent is an emphasis using louder sound, typically most pronounced on the attack of the sound.
- A tonic accent is an emphasis on a note by virtue of being higher in pitchPitch (music)Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
. - An agogic accent is an emphasis by virtue of being longer in duration.
Accents which do not correspond to the stressed beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
of the prevailing meter
Metre (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
are said to be syncopated (See syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
).
Agogic accents
There are four kinds of agogic accent:- Longer notated duration of a note, for example, a half note among quarter notes.
- Extended duration of a note within its full time value (without altering the tempo). For example, players of organ and harpsichord (which don't afford the use of dynamic accents) can emphasize one of a sequence of staccato quarter notes by making it less staccato.
- Extended duration of a note with the effect of temporarily slowing down the tempo.
- Delayed onset of a note.
Accent marks
In music notation, an accent mark indicates a louder dynamic
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
to apply to a single note or an articulation
Articulation (music)
In music, articulation refers to the musical direction performance technique which affects the transition or continuity on a single note or between multiple notes or sounds.- Types of articulations :...
mark. The most common is the horizontal accent, the fourth symbol in the diagram above; this is the symbol that most musicians mean when they say accent mark. The vertical accent, third in the diagram, may be stronger or weaker than the horizontal accent; composers have never been consistent in using these markings. In most musical works this type of accent is meant to be played more forcefully and usually shorter. The remaining marks typically shorten a note.
- StaccatoStaccatoStaccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
, the first symbol shown above, indicates that the last part of a note should be silenced to create separation between it and the following note. The duration of a staccato note may be about half as long as the note valueNote valueIn music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags/beams/hooks/tails....
would indicate, although the tempoTempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
and performers' taste varies this quite a bit. - The staccatissimoStaccatissimoIn musical notation, staccatissimo indicates that the notes are to be played extremely separated and distinct, a superlative staccato. This can be notated with little pikes over or under the notes, depending on stem direction, as in this example from Bruckner's Symphony No...
, shown second, is usually interpreted as shorter than the staccato, but composers up to the time of Mozart used these symbols interchangeably. A staccatissimoStaccatissimoIn musical notation, staccatissimo indicates that the notes are to be played extremely separated and distinct, a superlative staccato. This can be notated with little pikes over or under the notes, depending on stem direction, as in this example from Bruckner's Symphony No...
quarter note would be correctly played in traditional art music as a lightly articulated sixteenth note followed by rests which fill the remainder of the beat. - The marcatoMarcatoMarcato is a musical instruction indicating a note, chord, or passage is to be played louder or more forcefully than surrounding music. The instruction may involve the word marcato itself written above or below the staff or it may take the form of an accent mark, ^ , an open vertical wedge...
, shown third, the vertical open wedge, is even louder or more marked than a regular accent mark. - The fourth mark shown, the Accent mark, indicates that the marked note should have an emphasized beginning and then taper off rather quickly. This mark is correctly known by classically trained musicians as marcatoMarcatoMarcato is a musical instruction indicating a note, chord, or passage is to be played louder or more forcefully than surrounding music. The instruction may involve the word marcato itself written above or below the staff or it may take the form of an accent mark, ^ , an open vertical wedge...
, though it is usually simply referred to as an accentAccent-Speech and language:* Accent , pronunciation characteristic of a certain locality* Accent , of a word* Stress , tone levels and emphasis used in many languages for words or grammar* A diacritical mark is also known as an accent....
. - The tenutoTenutoTenuto is a direction used in musical notation. Arguably, it is one of the first directions to be used in music notation, as Notker of St...
mark, shown fifth above, has three meanings. It may indicate that a note or chord is to be played at full length or longer; it may indicate that a note or chord is to be played a bit louder; or it may indicate that a note is to be separated with a little space from surrounding notes. The last meaning is usually inferred with there are several notes with tenuto marks in a row, especially under a slur. TenutoTenutoTenuto is a direction used in musical notation. Arguably, it is one of the first directions to be used in music notation, as Notker of St...
is Italian for "sustained".
Even when these symbols are absent, experienced musicians will introduce the appropriate gesture according to the style
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
of the music.
Anti-accent marks
Percussion music in particular makes use as well of anti-accentGhost note
Ghost notes are musical notes occurring in a rhythmic figure which are purposely deemphasized, often to the point of near silence. In popular music drumming these notes are played, "very softly between the 'main' notes," most often on the snare drum in a drum kit.A rhythmic figure may be punctuated...
marks, notated as follows:
- slightly softer than surrounding notes: u (breve)
- significantly softer than surrounding notes: (note head in parentheses)
- much softer than surrounding notes: [ ] (note head in brackets)