Info Catalog music-glossary: mensuration sign music-glossary: Musical terms A-Z music-glossary: metronome

music-glossary: meter

 
 1.193 meter
 ===========
 
 ES: tiempo, compás, I: tempo, misura, F: indication de mesure, mesure,
 D: Taktart, Metrum, NL: maatsoort, DK: taktart, S: taktart, FI:
 aika-arvo.
 
    The pattern of note values and accents in a composition or a section
 thereof.  There are a couple ways to classify ‘traditional’ meter (i.e.
 not polymeter): by grouping beats and by subdividing the primary beat.
 
    By grouping beats:
 
    • duple: groups of two.
    • triple: groups of three.
    • quadruple: groups of four.  A special case of duple meter.
    • quintuple: groups of five beats.
    • sextuple meter: groups of six.  A special case of:
 
         • duple meter, subdivided in three; or
         • triple meter, subdivided in two.
 
    • septuple meter: groups of seven.
    • and so on.
 
    Other than triple meter and its subdivided variants (see below),
 meters that feature odd groupings of beats (e.g.  quintuple or septuple
 meter) are not frequently used prior to the 20th Century.
 
    By subdividing the primary beat:
 
    • simple: subdivided in groups of two.
 
         • duple: 2/2, 2/4, 2/8
         • triple: 3/2, 3/4, 3/8
         • quadruple: 4/2, 4/4 (also called common time), 4/8
 
    • compound: subdivided in groups of three.
 
         • duple: 6/8
         • triple: 9/8
         • quadruple: 12/8
 
    Time signatures are placed at the beginning of a composition (or
 section) to indicate the meter.  For instance, a piece written in simple
 triple meter with a beat on each quarter note is conventionally written
 with a time signature of 3/4.  Here are some combinations of the two
 classifications above:
 
    Simple duple meter (F.J. Haydn, 1732-1809; or a Croatian folk tune):
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
    Simple triple meter:
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
    Simple quadruple meter (French folk tune, _Au clair de la lune_):
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
    Simple quintuple meter (B. Marcello, 1686-1739):
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
    (Aside: this is an example of _Augenmusik_: the accidentals are thus
 in the source, with sharps in the accompaniment where the voice has
 flats and _vice versa_.)
 
    Compound duple meter (unknown):
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
    Compound triple meter (J.S. Bach, 1685-1750):
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
    Compound quadruple meter (P. Yon, 1886-1943):
 
      [image src="" alt="[image of music]" text="image of music"]
 
 
 See also
 ........
 
DONTPRINTYET     accent, hemiola, note value, *notetime
 signature::
 

Info Catalog music-glossary: mensuration sign music-glossary: Musical terms A-Z music-glossary: metronome