Chapter Four
Meter
Meter

A Regular Pattern of accented and
unaccented beats used in both poetry and
music

In music, meter is divided into measures
(bars)
Measure 1
Bar line
Measure 2
Duple Meter
2 beats per measure with an accent on the first beat
of each measure
Bar line
Unaccented beat
Accented beat
Counts
> -| > - |> 12| 1 2|1 2
Duple Meter

Viribus unitis, Marsch, Op. 96
 Johann
Strauss, Jr.
Quadruple Meter

4 beats per measure with a main accent on the
first beat of each measure and a secondary
accent on the third beat.
> - > - |> - > 1 234 |1 2 34
Quadruple Meter
 Duke
Ellington
 “Searchin’
”
Triple Meter

3 beats per measure with an accent on
the first beat of each measure
> - - |> - 1 2 3 |1 2 3
Triple Meter
“Old Time Waltz” by Mel’s Polka Stars
See if you can feel the triple meter
in this clip by watching the dancers.
Beat Division (Subdivision)


1
Music most often has two or more notes for each beat; that is,
the beat can be subdivided into groupings of 2, 3, or 4.
For example, in duple meter, we could have two or four notes
for every beat. When we subdivide a beat, we use the syllables
“e,” “&,” “uh” as well as the number of the beat to count out the
beat and subdivisions. The following example is counted–
&
2e
3
&
4e
|1
&
2 e & uh 3 e and 4
Beat Division (Subdivision)

The main subdivisions of a meter can be either—

Simple Duple-- 2 or 4 subdivisions per beat

CompoundTriple-- 3 or 6 subdivisions per
beat
Simple Subdivision

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Eine kleine Nachtmusic
Compound Subdivision

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Horn Concerto No.2 in Eb: Rondo
Klezmer Music
•Klezmer Music
Eastern European Dance
and Celebration Music
•Klezmorim
Performers of Klezmer
•Ashkenazi Jews
Jews who settled in Eastern Europe
Common Klezmer Instruments
violin (fiddle)
strohfiedel (folk xylophone)
tsimbl (hammered dulcimer)
flute
bass
clarinet
accordion
trumpet
tuba
drums
Klezmer music characteristics

Primarily Celebration Music
Marches, Dances (duple meter,
some triple)

Second Genre: Doina
Free and rhapsodic (often serving
as introduction)

Characteristic Sounds
wailing sound––weeping; laughlike sound;
sob-like “catch,” especially in the
clarinet
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
(click on image to watch movie)
Klezmer Music

Klezmer music has changed over the
centuries to reflect new styles and
instruments. And today's Klezmer is
no exception—
“The Klezmorim of Russia”