In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Arent Storm
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>From: "Bernard Hill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> >> >not to speak of hemisemidemiquavers
>> >> It's actually hemidemisemiquavers.
>> >> But my Australian customers explicly told me they use hdsqs.
>> >> And 1/128th notes are semihemidemisemiquavers
>> >
>> >You must be kidding! Ludicrous!
>>
>> Why? I admit that there is logic to the US terms, but I have to think
>> carefully "how many flags has a 1/32nd note?" whereas I know a
>> demisemiquaver has 3.
>>
>> >> Most musicians can translate though
>> >I must admit I cannot,
>> then you have never read a British or Australian book on music
>> I take it.
>I think that most books which are seeking for a large audience
>use quarter, eight etc. instead of the more antique
>semihemidemisemiquavers ore whatever.
I suggest you consult Grove dictionary, or Oxford companion. I assure
you that quarter notes are unknown by all except the professionals here
in the UK etc: we learn quavers and minims from our first lessons. I
expect the French do blanche and noire in the same way. It's nothing to
do with "antique": these are current, active names and professional
musicians speak both English and American, if not French and German etc.
Programme notes over here may refer to "a cascade of quavers" or
whatever.
The names are different in many languages:
My Oxford Companion to Music gives a table which contains:
English Italian French German American
breve breve carr�e doppeltakt-note double whole-note
or breve
...
minim minima blanche Halbe Half-note
or bianca
...
quaver croma croche achtel eighth-note
...
>I am aware that there exists something like semihemidemisemiquavers
>but I'm quite sure that there are few dutch musicians who know
>to use them, unless you read a lot of UK-english books on that topic.
>I do have quite some books on the topic of music engraving
>but apparently non of them is using semihemidemisemiquavers. :-)
>
>> >nor can I make much sense of
>> >miles, fl.oz, Fahrenheit, gallons, and all those other
>> >outlandish measurements you guys have mantioned.
>I need a calculator most of the times, but is cannot transform
>semihemidemisemiquavers ;-)
>
>> >> However personally I prefer the US terms in that area.
>> >It's not something specifically American; the
>> >fraction designations for note lengths are used and
>> >understood throughout the world, save for the United
>> >Kingdom, it seems.
>I can't speak for the world, but in the Netherlands: anyway.
>
>> No, as I say it's also Australasia. In fact if you add up the countries
>> or inhabitants it's probably more use the British terms. I know they do
>> in many places in Europe, and I certainly have Dutch customers who use
>> them when writing to me.
>Funny, they have been extraordinarily well been music-educated
Not really: as I say, most musicians are bi-lingual in this respect.
>It's not something you encounter every day in the Netherlands
>
>> And I didn't say we don't understand them.
>> We are broad-minded enough to
>> read US books and dictionaries and program notes etc.
>>
>> >Here in continental Europe, we have Euros, kilometers,
>> >liters, celsius, and 1/128th notes, and we do not
>> >understand anything more exotic than that...
>> Of course you do.
>don't be too sure... Fahrenheit isn't understood by most dutch since
>apart from
>the notion that it has something to do with temperature, and that 100F is
>different from 100C...
I didn't say you understand Fahrenheit. I said you do understand
something more exotic than Euros, kilometers [our spelling is
"...metres"], celsius and 1/128th notes, and gave you some examples.
>
>> You know about dollars and pounds for exchange rates.
>dollar=euro
nearly...
>pound=??? (lookup somewhere)
>> The French even have "livres" = pounds (weight). And I have read French
>> technical articles on chemical engineering which refer to pouce = inch.
>From which century?
20th. 1940s IIRC. Although I think it was spelled "pousse" :-(
>The French started the SI system...
No, they started the metric system. SI was an international agreement in
the 1950s and formalised in the 1960s. "Metric" previously included the
cgs (Centimetre-gram-second), MKS (metre-kilogramme-second) and MTS
(metre-tonne-second) systems. We were taught cgs for physics in the
early 1960s at school in the UK, but SI was a slightly later acceptance.
>To be honest, in Holland we used to have an ''ons'' for 100g en ''pond" voor
>500g but they are officially abandoned since a few decades, and fit in with the
>metric system.
>
Bernard Hill
Braeburn Software
Author of Music Publisher system
Music Software written by musicians for musicians
http://www.braeburn.co.uk
Selkirk, Scotland
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