brevis
- noun
- /ˈbrɛvɪs/
- Archaic
:
breve
- Learning to recognize the brevis helps students understand medieval musical rhythms.
Examples
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The manuscript showed a clear example of a brevis in the tenor line.
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In early choral music, the brevis was often used to mark important cadences.
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The brevis is a crucial note in medieval music.
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In the score, the brevis appears frequently.
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In early choral music, the brevis was often used to mark important cadences.
-
The manuscript showed a clear example of a brevis in the tenor line.
-
Learning to recognize the brevis helps students understand medieval musical rhythms.
Synonyms
210
2.9
A sign that shows how high and how long a musical sound is
3
3.0
A sign on written music that shows how high and how long a sound is
A very long musical note that lasts twice as long as a whole note
Compounds
- Specialized
A small insect that lives in wood and damages houses and furniture in warm places
- Specialized
A short muscle in the inner thigh that pulls the leg toward the body
- Specialized
Small arteries that come from the artery near the spleen and bring blood to the outer curve of the stomach
Surface Forms
Etymology
Brevis comes from the Latin root brev-, meaning 'short'. In medieval and Renaissance music a brevis was a named note, and the name links to the idea of a 'short' unit of rhythm in the old notation system.