Ch. 2 Rhythm and Meter - Music History

rhythm

The controlled movement of music in time.

beat

Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time.

accent

The emphasis on a beat resulting in its being louder or longer than another in a measure.

meter

Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures.

measure

Metric grouping of beats, notated on the musical staff with bar lines. Also bar.

bar (or measure) lines

Vertical lines on a staff that separate measures, or bars.

downbeat

First beat of the measure, the strongest in any _meter.

duple meter

Basic metrical pattern of two beats to a measure.

triple meter

Basic metrical pattern of three beats to a measure.

quadruple meter

Basic metrical pattern of four beats to a measure. Also common time.

simple meter

Meter in which the beat is divided into two, as in duple, triple, and quadruple meters.

compound meter

Meter in which each main beat subdivides into three rather than two; 6/8 is a common example.

sextuple meter

Compound metrical pattern of six beats to a measure.

upbeat

Last beat of a measure, a weak beat that anticipates the downbeat.

syncopation

Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse through a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an offbeat.

off beat

A weak beat or weak portion of a beat.

polyrhythm

The simultaneous use of several rhythmic patters or meters, common in twentieth‐century music and certain African musics.

additive

Patterns of beats that subdivide into smaller, irregular groups (e.g., 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 10), common in some Eastern European and non-Western musics.

nonmetric

Music lacking a strong sense of beat or meter, common in certain non‐Western cultures.