RHYTHMIC MODE


Meaning of RHYTHMIC MODE in English

rhythmic organization in triple patterns underlying all polyphonic (many-voiced) music of the late 12th and 13th centuries, beginning with the descant sections of two-part organa of the Notre-Dame school in Paris and culminating in the multilingual motets of the 13th century; the latter forms feature two or three rhythmic modes simultaneously in different parts of the polyphonic texture. It was the system of rhythmic modes that facilitated the temporal coordination of polyphonic parts. The six rhythmic modes were analogous to classical poetic metres: I (trochee) ; II (iamb) ; III (dactyl) . ; IV (anapest) . ; V (spondee) . . ; and VI (tribrach) By arranging the customary square neumes (notational devices indicating pitch but not duration per se) in certain consistent patterns with special attention to the position of the ligatures (notational signs combining several successive pitches), the medieval scribes were able to communicate the intended rhythmic mode. Thus, a triple ligature followed by two double ligatures indicated the first mode. Since the last pitch in a ligature was always read as a long value, the preceding pitch was understood to be short, while, in this particular arrangement, the initial pitch was considered to be long by extrapolation. Non-Western counterparts of the medieval rhythmic modes are found in the Islamic iqa'at and the Indian tala.

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