Time and Time Signatures

The time of a piece of music is its division into a number of beats per bar. Since the 1700, the time of music has been indicated by bar lines with a time signature. Time in this sence may be duple (2 beats per bar), triple, quadruple, quintuple etc. Each of these times are called 'simple' when the beat is a simple note value, ie. semibreve, minim, crotchet. For example, simple triple time (3/4) has three crotchet beats per bar. 'Compound' time is one in which the beat is a ternary note value, this is always represented by a dotted note. For example, compound duple time (6/8) has six quavers per bar marking two dotted crotchet beats per bar.

Therefore, a time signature indicated at the start of a piece of music denotes the number and type of note-values in each bar. It consists of numeric figures placed one above the other directly after the key signature. Here are some examples:

= 3 crotchets in a bar. = 6 quavers in a bar.

The lower number in the key signature represents the kind of note considered to be a unit of measurement, therefore its value will range from 1-2-4-8-16-32-64. The upper number represents the number of these units to appear in each measure (bar).

David Webber 1994-96. Mozart Music Generator Program
Concise Dictionary of Music, 1986.

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