However, the trend towards ever-quickening note values was not suppressed simply by using the name minim, and by the late 14 th century the crotchet had appeared, worth half a minim. The minima (minim) was invented, based on the Latin word “ minimum”, supposedly because it was the smallest note value possible to play. These symbols eventually evolved into time signatures.) Records suggest that a semibreve would normally be at a metronome speed of about 40, which is much faster than modern standards.īy the early 14 th century composers again wanted a faster note – this evolution itself reflects the growing rhythmical complexity of the music being written at this time. (A symbol was placed at the beginning of the music, to show whether there would be two or three semibreves to a breve. The semibreve appeared in the late 13 th century. Their names were based on the Latin words for long and short: long and breve (like “brief”).Īs time went by, composers felt the need for another note, which would be worth half or a third of a breve, and this was named the semibreve. Initially in the early 13 th century, there were only two available note values, one of which was long, and the other short. The UK names for notes date back hundreds of years, to the earliest ever times when music was written down. ![]() There is little point in arguing – neither side is going to change their system! It’s more interesting to consider why there is such a difference, bearing in mind we do speak the same language. Those in the UK are quite attached to their unique, historically meaningful terms, while those in the USA think them antiquated and much prefer their own system, which they see as more logical and mathematical. ![]() If you’ve ever spent time in an online forum about music theory, you’ll have probably come across an argument about whether the UK or the USA note-naming system is superior.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |