Quarter note
Encyclopedia
A quarter note or crotchet (British) is a note played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note
(or semibreve). Often people will say that a crotchet is one beat
, however, this is not always correct, as the beat is indicated by the time signature
of the music; a quarter note may or may not be the beat. Quarter notes are notated with a filled-in oval note head
and a straight, flagless stem
. The stem usually points upwards if it is below the middle line of the stave or downwards if it is on or above the middle line. However, the stem direction may differentiate more than one part
. The head of the note also reverses its orientation in relation to the stem. (See image.)
In Unicode
, the symbol is U+2669 ().
A related value is the quarter rest
(or crotchet rest). It denotes a silence of the same duration as a quarter note. It typically appears as the symbol and occasionally as the older symbol .
The note derives from the semiminima of mensural notation
. The word crotchet comes from Old French
crochet
, meaning 'little hook', diminutive of croc, 'hook', because of the hook used on the note in black notation. However, because the hook appeared on the eighth note
(or quaver) in the later white notation, the modern French term croche refers to an eighth note.
It is played for half the length of a minim and twice that of a quaver. It is one beat in a bar of 4/4.
The term quarter note is a calque
(loan translation) of the German term Viertelnote. The names of this note (and rest) in most languages are calque
d from the same source:
The French and Spanish names for the note (both meaning "black") derive from the fact that the semiminima was the longest note to be colored in mensural white notation, which is true as well of the modern form.
The Greek and Chinese names mean "quarter" (for the note) and "quarter's pause" (for the rest). In Greek, all music rests are called "pauses."
Whole note
thumb|right|250px|Figure 1. A whole note and a whole rest.In music, a whole note or semibreve is a note represented by a hollow oval note head, like a half note , and no note stem . Its length is equal to four beats in 4/4 time...
(or semibreve). Often people will say that a crotchet is one beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
, however, this is not always correct, as the beat is indicated by the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of the music; a quarter note may or may not be the beat. Quarter notes are notated with a filled-in oval note head
Note head
In music, a note head is the elliptical part of a note. Noteheads may be coloured completely black or white, indicating the note value . In a whole note, the note head is the only component of the note. Shorter note values attach a stem to the note head, and possibly beams or flags...
and a straight, flagless stem
Stem (music)
Stems can refer to two things in music, relating to music notation and production.-Notation:Stems are the lines which extend from the notehead. Stems may point up or down. Different-facing stems indicate the voice for polyphonic music written on the same staff...
. The stem usually points upwards if it is below the middle line of the stave or downwards if it is on or above the middle line. However, the stem direction may differentiate more than one part
Part (music)
1) A part is a strand or melody of music played by an individual instrument or voice within a larger work. Parts may be referred to as an outer part or an inner part . Part-writing is the composition of parts in consideration of harmony and counterpoint...
. The head of the note also reverses its orientation in relation to the stem. (See image.)
In Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
, the symbol is U+2669 ().
Rest (music)
A rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol corresponds with a particular note value:The quarter rest may also be found as a form in older music....
(or crotchet rest). It denotes a silence of the same duration as a quarter note. It typically appears as the symbol and occasionally as the older symbol .
The note derives from the semiminima of mensural notation
Mensural notation
Mensural notation is the musical notation system which was used in European music from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600."Mensural" refers to the ability of this system to notate complex rhythms with great exactness and flexibility...
. The word crotchet comes from Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
crochet
Crochet
Crochet is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook. The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by...
, meaning 'little hook', diminutive of croc, 'hook', because of the hook used on the note in black notation. However, because the hook appeared on the eighth note
Eighth note
thumb|180px|right|Figure 1. An eighth note with stem facing up, an eighth note with stem facing down, and an eighth rest.thumb|right|180px|Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together....
(or quaver) in the later white notation, the modern French term croche refers to an eighth note.
It is played for half the length of a minim and twice that of a quaver. It is one beat in a bar of 4/4.
The term quarter note is a calque
Calque
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
(loan translation) of the German term Viertelnote. The names of this note (and rest) in most languages are calque
Calque
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
d from the same source:
| Language | note name | rest name |
|---|---|---|
| Czech | čtvrťová nota | čtvrťová pauza |
| Dutch | kwartnoot | kwartrust |
| French | noire | soupir |
| German | Viertelnote | Viertelpause |
| Greek | Tetarto (τέταρτο) | Pausi tetartou (παύση τετάρτου) |
| Italian | semiminima | pausa di semiminima |
| Polish | ćwierćnuta | pauza ćwierćnutowa |
| Portuguese | semínima | pausa de semínima |
| Russian | четвертная нота | четвертная пауза |
| Spanish | negra | silencio de negra |
| Swedish | fjärdedelsnot | fjärdedelspaus |
| Finnish | Neljäsosanuotti | Neljäsosatauko |
| Turkish | dörtlük nota | dörtlük es |
| Chinese | 四分音符 | 四分休止符 |
The French and Spanish names for the note (both meaning "black") derive from the fact that the semiminima was the longest note to be colored in mensural white notation, which is true as well of the modern form.
The Greek and Chinese names mean "quarter" (for the note) and "quarter's pause" (for the rest). In Greek, all music rests are called "pauses."