3. DURATION: BEAT, TEMPO & TIME SIGNATURE
1. 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.
2. 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
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Uniform tempo markings set a regular speed that remains constant until a new marking changes it. In scores, they are placed above the staff using Italian terms or metronome markings. These terms can be modified with suffixes like -etto or -ino to reduce the effect of the word, or -issimo to increase it.
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
(Prestissimo)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee
(Presto)
Saint-Saëns - The swan
(Andantino)
Giazotto / Albinoni - Adagio
(Adagio)
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Variable tempo markings introduce a gradual change in the speed.
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Accelerando (accel.) / animando (anim.): gradually getting faster.
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Ritardando (rit.) / rallentando (rall.): gradually getting slower.
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Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King
(Accelerando)
Charpentier - Te Deum
(Ritardando)
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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.
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Debussy - Syrinx
(Ad libitum)
Brahms - Hungarian dance n. 5
(Ritardando - A tempo)
3. TIME SIGNATURE
Most Western music is organized in repetitive patterns of strong and weak beats grouped into bars.
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The meter is the basic rhythm of a piece, classified by counting the beats from one strong pulse to the next.
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The time signature is the symbol, shaped like a fraction, that indicates the meter.
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The top number indicates the number of beats per bar.
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The bottom number indicates which note value equals one beat or subdivision (relative to the whole note).
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Musical pieces are divided into bars/measures, bars into beats and beats into subdivisions.
Types of time signatures
According to the number of beats
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A duple time signature has two beats (1st: strong, 2nd: weak). E.g. ragtime, march, polka, merengue.
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A triple time signature has three beats (1st: strong, 2nd: weak, 3rd: weak). E.g. waltz, minuet, scherzo.
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A quadruple time signature has four beats (1st: strong, 2nd: weak, 3rd: medium-strong, 4th: weak). E.g. rock, pop.
According to the subdivision of the beat
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Simple time signature (binary subdivision): time signature in which each beat can be divided into two parts.
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Compound time signature (ternary subdivision): time signature in which each beat can be divided into three parts.
There are different hand or baton movement patterns for each time signature, as shown in this graph. We will indicate three eighth notes per 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)
Ed Sheeran - Perfect
(12/8)
A mixed time signature combines simple and compound beats in the same bar, resulting in beats of unequal duration. E.g. 5/4, 5/8, 7/4, 7/8, etc. A 5/4 bar is a combination of 3/4 + 2/4 or vice versa, and a 7/4 bar is a combination of 4/4 + 3/4 or vice versa.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
(5/4)
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
(7/4)
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.