The question started with a piece of Liszt. It has to be played adante. Time is set: first part: 9/8 (3/4) second part: 6/8 (2/4) istesso tempo (means that a 1/4 stays 1/4. So the duration of the measure changes).
Writing it this way, prevents printing the triplet everywhere. The feel of the piece is for sure 3/4 resp. 2/4. NB: I also have seen similar pieces where, the composer/arranger, just wrote it is this way, without mentioning it in the time. When reading it, you suddenly see 3 x 1/8 in a 1/4. (OK this must be triplets :-) and of you go. Eef > Op 29 jul. 2022, om 14:10 heeft David Kastrup <[email protected]> het volgende > geschreven: > > Kieren MacMillan <[email protected]> writes: > >> Hi Carl, >> >>> Just curious, because I know precious little about polymetry. >>> Does 9/8 (3/4) mean anything different from (3 + 3 + 3)/8 ? >> >> Yes: the parenthetical notation is usually an instruction to alternate >> time signatures, not simply a clarification of intention. For example, >> in “West Side Story”, Bernstein uses 6/8 (3/4) to indicate that >> alternate bars should be felt/conducted as 6/8 then 3/4 then 6/8 then >> 3/4… > > Just as an observation: "America" has much more of a triplet feeling in > its 6/8 to me than the 3rd movement of BWV1041 has in its 9/8. Partly > it may be the syllabic rendition, partly the simple melodic structure. > > -- > David Kastrup
