Lesson 4b - The Elements of Rhythm

Introduction

Rhythm has several basic elements: beat, accent, meter, and tempo.

Beat is a series of pulses that are even, regular and ongoing. It is the basis for measuring time in music, and a reference point for all the varied duration of the musical notes. Most often our physical reactions to music is a response to the beat of the music. We feel the beat by tapping our fingers, clapping our hands, or moving in time with the music like marching or dancing.
Accent refers to an emphasis placed on a particular beat or musical note.
Meter is a regular pattern of accented (strong) and unaccented (weak) beats. In western music, the strong accented beat commonly falls on the first beat of a recurring pattern. For example, a two-beat pattern is strong - weak, strong - weak ..., a three-beat pattern is strong - weak - weak, strong - weak - weak ... , and a four-beat pattern is strong - weak - weak - weak, strong - weak - weak - weak ....
Tempo refers to the speed of the beat - how fast the music is played. Tempo is indicated by terms describing the character of the music or by reference to the number of beats per minute. For example:
- Largo -- slow and dignified (40 to 60 beats per minute)
- Adagio -- slow, at ease (66 to 76 beats per minute)
- Andante -- at a walking pace (76 to 108 beats per minute)
- Moderato -- moderately (108 to 120 beats per minute)
- Allegro -- fast, lively, and bright (120 to 168 beats per minute)
- Vivace -- lively and fast (168 to 176 beats per minute)
- Presto --- very fast (168 to 200 beats per minute)

In Western classical music, you may find the title of a musical work or different movements (sections) of a composition labeled with the tempo at which they are supposed to be played. A few examples are listed in the following concert program:

Concert Program
Program	Composer
Concerto for Two Cellos and Orchestra in G Minor, RV 531 Ill. Allegro - fast, lively and bright.	Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Serenade No. 2 for String Orchestra in F Major, op. 63 (1870) Allegro moderato - moderately fast, lively and bright. March	Robert Volkmann (1815-1883)
Adagio for Strings, op. 11 (1937) - slow, at ease.	Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Chamber Symphony for String Orchestra in C Minor, op. 110a (1960) Largo - slow and dignified. Allegro molto - very fast, lively and bright. Allegretto - slightly slower than allegro. Largo Largo	Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) arr. Rudolf Barshai

What's Next?

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