Rhythm
The concept of rhythm, in the most general sense, includes whatever concerns
the way in which music moves through time. In music, sounds follow
one another sometimes directly, and sometimes with short spaces of silence
in between them. The time interval between notes is generally
specified exactly, as is the relative weight of the notes, or what is accented
and what is not accented. The rhythm and accent of notes determines
the effect of music more than any other single factor.
The following diagram outlines note values used today. Note that the
"flags" on some notes can be run together as "beams" to make it easier
to read:
Equivalent rest values (short silences):
To make rhythms, sounds are alternated with short silences. A
measure (or bar) functions as the basic time unit for a piece of music.
The measures are marked off by vertical measure lines. The
meter of a piece is shown by the time signature, which is printed at the
beginning after the clef, and at any point where it may change during the
course of the piece. The top digit indicates the number of beats
in a measure, and the bottom digit indicates the type of note that represents
a beat. In the following example, 4/4 time means "four quarter notes
to the measure".
A dot after a note lengthens it by 50 percent.
Tempo
Tempo indicates the speed of the music. This is indicated by absolute amounts
in fractions of a second. In these examples, tempo is indicated
as the number of quarter notes per minute:
Generally, composers have often used more subjective indications for
tempo, leaving some room for interpretation. Most of these terms
also indicate a character or mood associated with a range of speed.
- largo - very slow, broad, stately
- largetto - a little faster than largo
- grave - grave, very slow, heavy, dragging
- lento - slow
- adagio - slow, tranquil
- andante - slow, but not too slow, moving along
- andantino - a little faster than andante
- moderato - moderate tempo
- vivace, vivo - lively
- allegretto - fast, but not too fast
- allegro - fast, lively
- presto - very fast, rapid
- prestissimo - very very fast
The following indicate changes in tempo during the course of a piece of
music:
- accelerando (accel.) - gradually getting faster
- ritardando (rit.), rallentando (rall.) - gradually
getting slower
- piu lento - slower
- piu allegro - faster
- rubato - dwell on and prolong prominent
melody tones or chords, requiring an equivalent acceleration of less prominent
tones
- fermata placed over or under a note or rest, indicating a prolongation of the time
value at performer’s discretion:
- meno mosso - a steady rate of speed, slower than
previous movement
- piu mosso - a steady rate of speed, faster than
previous movement
Dynamics
The general term for the varying and contrasting degrees of intensity or
loudness of a musical passage is dynamics. Like the directions
for tempo, qualitative language is used:
- pianoissimo (pp) - very soft
- piano (p) - soft
- mezzo piano (mp) - medium soft
- mezzo forte (mf) - medium loud
- forte (f) - loud
- fortissimo (ff) - very loud
Playing one note louder than the notes surrounding it is indicated by an
accent (>).
Some terms and indications for changing dynamics:
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