RE: Band parts - a newbie's view

[Ralph Little]

Hi,
Getting a bit off topic here, but a quick search on Google reveals the
following, which may the answer to the 4/2 /alla breve issue:

http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/courses/rhythm/illustrations/large_alla
_breve.html

and to quote:

----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<
----------8<----
"large alla breve"

Definition:
The name given to compound 4/2 meter by German theorists and composers
of the first half of the eighteenth century. They ascribed equal metric
weight to the first and third half-note beats of the bar. Consequently,
they regarded each measure of this type as a composite of two 2/2 bars.
Baroque and classical composers employed large alla breve in slow
movements of sacred works and in works written in stile antico. During
the first half of the eighteenth century, German theorists and composers
regarded the stately 4/4 frequently employed in fugues as a notational
variant of large alla breve. See Grave (1985). 
----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<
----------8<----

Well, I didn't know that!

Regards,
Ralph

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"Man who shoot off mouth... expect to lose face." 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ralph Little 
> Sent: 29 July 2004 10:05
> To: 'David Rogers'
> Cc: 'address@hidden'
> Subject: RE: Band parts - a newbie's view
> 
> 
> Hi,
> Yup, I agree with all of that.
> 
> My statement regarding increase in tempo is from experience 
> of it's use rather than any implied meaning.
> In brass band parts we often see it used as a mechanism to 
> double pace from common time (and feel of pace, with it being 
> 2 beats per bar), but it is usually accompanied by a 
> qualifying tempo indication.
> 
> But you are quite correct, there is no explicit difference in pace.
> 
> Regards,
> Ralph
> 
> --------------------------------------
> address@hidden
> www.tribaldata.co.uk
> ...or see what I do in my spare time:
> www.skelmanthorpeband.org
> --------------------------------------
> 
> "Man who shoot off mouth... expect to lose face." 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: David Rogers [mailto:address@hidden 
> > Sent: 28 July 2004 18:31
> > To: Ralph Little
> > Subject: Re: Band parts - a newbie's view
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > On Jul 28, 2004, at 9:09 AM, Ralph Little wrote:
> > 
> > > Cut-common is often found in band parts and effectively 
> doubles the
> > > pace, at least that is my interpretation.
> > 
> > It all depends on the tempo markings, of course. It's quite 
> > possible to 
> > have a slow 2/2. The real difference is in the accents and 
> the "feel" 
> > of the music. 2/2 flows differently from 4/4 because there 
> are fewer 
> > beats (and therefore fewer accents) per bar.
> > 
> > As far as whether one uses numbers or c-shaped symbols, I 
> think that 
> > the c-shaped symbols are traditional in certain types of music, but 
> > that the numbers seem to have become standard practice in 
> > modern music. 
> > It would make sense to me for Lilypond to have choices like 
> > use-numbers 
> > or use-symbols. (And what about the circle-with-a-line that 
> Bach uses 
> > for 16/8 in the gigue of the E major keyboard partita? Is that in 
> > Lilypond somewhere, or is it too obscure to include such things?)
> > 
> > David
> > 
> > 
> 

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