Thanks for this most illuminating explanation!!
I read years ago that the circle was the sign for "perfection" - meaning Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - ie 3. And that the part circle was "lesser", and meant 4.


Stan Lord
On 2 Nov 2003, at 20:49, John.Howell wrote:

Hi all:

I know the sign for cut time , a c with a line through it. Is there
anything like that when the time signature is
3/2? A friend drew a 3/4 time signature on a part and put a line through
it. Is there anything like this?


Thanks:

Bob Florence

No, and the reason has to do with the history of notational development.


In the 13th century, a circle was adopted as the mensuration sign indicating "tempus perfectum"--a triple subdivision of the perfect longa into 3 breves. A circle with a stroke through it indicated "tempus perfectum diminutum"--a triple mensuration that moved twice as fast.

When the need for duple time arrived, around the turn of the 14th century, the mensuration sign for "tempus imperfectum"--a duple subdivision of the longa into 2 breves--was a broken circle. That's the direct source for the C for "common time" in modern notation. And a broken circle with a stroke through it indicated "tempus imperfectum diminutum"--duple time moving twice as fast. (I may be off by one level of subdivision, but the principal is valid.)

Those mensuration signs remained in use into the 16th century, and represented absolute tempos, related (we think) to an ongoing taktus at heartbeat speed. ("Normal" tempo might have the taktus represent the semibreve, or "alla semibreve," while in diminished mensuration it replresented the breve, and the term "alla breve" still means cut time.)

But by the 16th century proportion signs were also in use, using arabic numerals to indicate the proportion of tempo change for a new section of music. Here's where we find the 3/2 , meaning 3 notes in the new section in the time of 2 notes (of the same note value) in the old section. Similarly, 3/1 indicated 3 notes in the new section in the time of 1 note in the old section. That is why, notationally, we can find sections using BIG notes (breves and semibreves) that actually move along at a brisk tempo. It's these proportion signs that provided the basis for our modern numerical time signatures, except for the older C and cut time signs.

Of course 20th century composers may, indeed, have developed new ways of indicating note groupings and speed, but I'm more familiar with the history.

John


-- John & Susie Howell Virginia Tech Department of Music Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale


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