DURATION: BEAT, TEMPO & TIME SIGNATURE
NOTE VALUES AND RESTS
Duration is the quality of sound that depends on the wave persistence and allows us to distinguish between long and short sounds. We represent duration in scores by means of note values and rests.
When writing a note, we distinguish three parts: (1) notehead, (2) stem and (3) flag.
Dots and ties
The duration of a note can be lengthened using dots and ties.
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A dot is a small spot placed after a note or rest that increases its duration by half. E.g. a dotted half note lasts 3 beats. Multiple dots can be added to a note or rest and subsequent dots add half the value of previous dots.
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A tie is a curved line that joins two adjacent notes of the same pitch into a single sound with a duration equal to the sum of both note values. Tied notes are used to sustain a note over a bar line, or to make a particular rhythmic grouping in a bar more clear.
BEAT AND TEMPO
To identify the tempo of a piece, we need to discover its beat. This is something we do instinctively when we tap our foot or nod our head to the rhythm of the music.
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Beat is a constant and regular pulse or heartbeat that we can find in most musical pieces.
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Tempo is the speed of the beat, that is, the speed at which we play a musical piece.
A metronome is a device that produces regular ticks, measured in beats-per-minute (bpm), to help the performer keep the tempo of a musical piece.
Haydn - Symphony n. 101 'The Clock' II. Andante
Types of tempo markings
Uniform tempo markings set a regular speed that remains constant until another marking appears to modify it. In scores they are placed above the staff by means of Italian words or metronomic indications. The perception of speed or tempo is quite subjective; that is why many composers use the metronomic tempo besides the Italian tempo.
We expand the range of terms by adding these modifiers:
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The suffixes -etto or -ino are diminutives and they lessen the effect of a term.
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The suffix -issimo means "very" and it increases the effect of a term.
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
(Prestissimo)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee
(Presto)
Saint-Saëns - The swan
(Andantino)
Giazotto / Albinoni - Adagio
(Adagio)
Variable tempo markings introduce a gradual change in the speed.
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Accelerando (accel.) / animando (anim.): gradually faster speed.
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Ritardando (rit.) / rallentando (rall.): gradually slower speed.
Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King
(Accelerando)
Charpentier - Te Deum
(Ritardando)
Free tempo markings stop the regular speed and the performer is free to choose the speed.
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Ad libitum / a piacere: at the performer's choice, freely.
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Reset the tempo markings re-establish the original speed, after a variable or free tempo marking.
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A tempo / In tempo: in time.
Debussy - Syrinx
(Ad libitum)
Brahms - Hungarian dance n. 5
(Ritardando - A tempo)
TIME SIGNATURE
Most Western music is organized in repetitive patterns of strong and weak beats, which are grouped into bars.
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The meter of a piece of music is its basic rhythm. Meters can be classified by counting the number of beats from one strong beat to the next.
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The time signature is the symbol that tells you the meter of the piece in the form of a fraction.
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Top number indicates the number of beats in which the measure is divided.
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Bottom number indicates the note value which equals one beat or subdivision (in relation to the whole note).
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Pieces of music are divided into bars/measures. Bars are divided into beats. Beats are divided into subdivisions.
Types of time signatures
According to the number of beats
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Duple time signature: it has 2 beats, 1st strong and 2nd weak. E.g. ragtime, march, polka, merengue.
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Triple time signature: it has 3 beats, 1st strong, 2nd weak and 3rd weak. E.g. waltz, minuet, scherzo.
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Quadruple time signature: it has 4 beats, 1st strong, 2nd weak, 3rd strong and 4th weak. E.g. rock, pop.
According to the subdivision of the beat
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Simple time signature or binary subdivision: time signature in which each beat can be divided into 2 parts.
Top numbers are 2, 3 and 4. -
Compound time signature or ternary subdivision: time signature in which each beat can be divided into 3 parts.
Top numbers are 6, 9 and 12.
There are different hand or baton movement patterns for each time signature according to its number of beats, as shown in this graph. We will mark three eighth notes in each beat in compound time signatures to differentiate them from simple time signatures.
Scott Joplin - The Entertainer
(2/4 ragtime)
Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz 2
(3/4 waltz)
AC DC - Back in Black
(4/4 rock)
Queen - We Are The Champions
(6/8)
J. S. Bach - Cantata BWV 147
(9/8)
R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts
(12/8)
Mixed time signatures
These time signatures combine simple and compound beats, which means that the bar cannot be divided into equal beats. Top numbers are 5, 7, 11, etc. E.g. 5/4, 5/8, 7/4, 7/8, etc. They are also called complex, irregular, odd, unusual or asymmetric time signatures.
Take Five & Mission Impossible
(5/4)
ACTIVITIES
1. Write the type and meaning of the following tempo markings.
2. Order these tempo markings from fastest to slowest.
Presto – Adagio – Andante – Prestissimo – Allegretto – Larghetto – Allegro – Largo
3. Add bar lines.