The pick up measure, or the section that anticipates the first beat of the measure which coincides with the beginning of the rhythmical - harmonical structure of the musical phrase is also called "anacrusis". The original Greek term "anįkrousis" generated from "anakrooūn", which meant 'to take back', to 'prelude' (pre-play). Italian language is mainly a mix between Latin and Greek and the only term to describe a pick up measure, in Italy, is "anacrusi". An anacrusis can be related to a measure as to a phrase as to short motives, depending on many factors, such as the deepness of level of analysis of the examined structure, etc... Generally speaking, an anacrusis would be compensated by a smaller measure ending the structural section (this happens in folk music and in the stylized "dances" developed since the pre-early Baroque period), thus justifying the way to count measure number one from the first complete measure. In Italian language, when the pick up measure is not compensated at the end of the section and the beginning of the same pick up measure coincides with the beginning of the rhythmical - harmonical structure of the musical phrase, it's not then defined as an anacrusis but it's called "acefalo" (which, coming from The Greek 'aképhalos' and changed in the Latin 'acephalum' means without head) and is considered as the first measure of the section. However, an "acefalo" beginning is not always very simple to state, and implicates an introspective voyage into style and harmonic - melodic - rhythmic structure.
Giovanni Andreani _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
