Chapter Four

Meter

Meter

A Regular Pattern of accented and unaccented beats used in both poetry and music

In music, meter is divided into measures (bars)

Measure 1 Bar line Measure 2

Duple Meter

> - | > - | > -

1 2 | 1 2 | 1 2

Bar line

2 beats per measure with an accent on the first beat of each measure

Accented beat

Unaccented beat

Counts

Duple Meter

Viribus unitis, Marsch, Op. 96 Johann Strauss, Jr.

Quadruple Meter 4 beats per measure with a main accent on the

first beat of each measure and a secondary accent on the third beat.

> - > - | > - > -

1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4

Quadruple Meter

Duke Ellington

“Searchin’ ”

Triple Meter

3 beats per measure with an accent on the first beat of each measure

> - - | > - - 1 2 3 |1 2 3

Triple Meter

“Old Time Waltz” by Mel’s Polka Stars

See if you can feel the triple meter in this clip by watching the dancers.

Beat Division (Subdivision)

Music most often has two or more notes for each beat; that is, the beat can be subdivided into groupings of 2, 3, or 4.

For example, in duple meter, we could have two or four notes for every beat. When we subdivide a beat, we use the syllables “e,” “&,” “uh” as well as the number of the beat to count out the beat and subdivisions. The following example is counted–

1 & 2 e 3 & 4 e |1 & 2 e & uh 3 e and 4

Beat Division (Subdivision)

The main subdivisions of a meter can be either—

Simple Duple-- 2 or 4 subdivisions per beat

CompoundTriple-- 3 or 6 subdivisions per beat

Simple Subdivision

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Eine kleine Nachtmusic

Compound Subdivision

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Horn Concerto No.2 in Eb: Rondo

•Klezmer MusicEastern European Dance

and Celebration Music

•KlezmorimPerformers of Klezmer

•Ashkenazi JewsJews who settled in Eastern

Europe

Klezmer Music

Common Klezmer Instruments

violin (fiddle)strohfiedel (folk xylophone)tsimbl (hammered dulcimer)

flutebassclarinetaccordiontrumpettubadrums

Klezmer music characteristics

Primarily Celebration MusicMarches, Dances (duple meter, some triple)

Second Genre: DoinaFree and rhapsodic (often serving as introduction)

Characteristic Soundswailing sound––weeping; laugh-like sound;sob-like “catch,” especially in the clarinet Maxwell Street Klezmer Band

(click on image to watch movie)

Klezmer Music

Klezmer music has changed over the centuries to reflect new styles and instruments. And today's Klezmer is no exception—

“The Klezmorim of Russia”