Alla breve
Encyclopedia
In music
, alla breve[ Italian
: at the breve
] (also sometimes called cut time or cut common time) refers to a musical meter
notated by the time signature
symbol (a broken circle with a line through it), which is the equivalent of 2/2. Alla breve is a "simple-duple meter with a half-note pulse". Common time, notated with the time signature symbol , is the equivalent of 4/4.
. Thus, it is used frequently for military marches
. From about 1600 to 1900 its usage with regard to tempo varied, so it cannot always be taken to mean a quick tempo.
(also called proportio dupla) in which note values (and their graphical shapes) were related by the ratio 2:1. In this context it means that the tactus or metrical pulse
(now commonly referred to as the "beat
") is switched from its normal place on the whole note
(semibreve) to the double whole note
(breve).
The use of the vertical line or stroke in a musical graphical symbol, as practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and now referred to by the modern term of "cut time", did not always have the same meaning as alla breve. It sometimes had other functions, including non-mensural ones.
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...
, alla breve
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: at the breve
Double whole note
In music, a double whole note or breve is a note lasting twice as long as a whole note...
] (also sometimes called cut time or cut common time) refers to a musical meter
Meter (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...
notated by the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
symbol (a broken circle with a line through it), which is the equivalent of 2/2. Alla breve is a "simple-duple meter with a half-note pulse". Common time, notated with the time signature symbol , is the equivalent of 4/4.
Modern usage
In contemporary usage alla breve suggests a fairly quick tempoTempo
In 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:...
. Thus, it is used frequently for military marches
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
. From about 1600 to 1900 its usage with regard to tempo varied, so it cannot always be taken to mean a quick tempo.
Historical usage
Prior to 1600 the term alla breve derives from the system of mensural or proportional notationMensural notation
Mensural notation is the musical notation system which was used in European music from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600."Mensural" refers to the ability of this system to notate complex rhythms with great exactness and flexibility...
(also called proportio dupla) in which note values (and their graphical shapes) were related by the ratio 2:1. In this context it means that the tactus or metrical pulse
Pulse (music)
In music and music theory, the pulse or tactus consists of beats in a series of identical yet distinct periodic short-duration stimuli perceived as points in time occurring at the mensural level...
(now commonly referred to as the "beat
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...
") is switched from its normal place on the whole note
Whole note
thumb|right|250px|Figure 1. A whole note and a whole rest.In music, a whole note or semibreve is a note represented by a hollow oval note head, like a half note , and no note stem . Its length is equal to four beats in 4/4 time...
(semibreve) to the double whole note
Double whole note
In music, a double whole note or breve is a note lasting twice as long as a whole note...
(breve).
| Modern notation | |
| White notation (15th–16th cent.) |
|
| Black notation (13th–15th cent.) |
The use of the vertical line or stroke in a musical graphical symbol, as practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and now referred to by the modern term of "cut time", did not always have the same meaning as alla breve. It sometimes had other functions, including non-mensural ones.
Example
The following is an example with the same rhythm notated in 2/2 versus 4/4:Sources
- Randel, Don Michael (2003). Harvard dictionary of music, fourth edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01163-5.
- Sadie, Stanley; John Tyrrell, eds. (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition. NewYork: Grove's Dictionaries. ISBN 1-56159-239-0.