Many of you who follow my twitter feed have probably watched one of the videos with me practicing my Alto Horn. I play in a British Brass Band. We have had the pleasure over my 4 year tenure to be visited by composer/conductor Nigel Horne. Getting the British style just right is changeling for any group and Nigel's passion and demand from the podium always leaves us playing one notch better then we though possible and about 300x better then where we started at the beginning of practice!
For an odd reason Nigel and us in the band often run into major communication difficulties. I'm not talking about the typical torch/flashlight stuff -- British musical terms come from a wholly different musical tradition then our common musical terms in America. For the most part we keep the frustration level low by staring at each other blankly as someone in the section quickly figures out what Nigel is talking about. I'm no musical linguist (Alton Brown style pause...) so here are my translations for some of the terms I've heard before stolen from various parts of the interwebs.
leader (UK) = concertmaster (USA)
produce (an opera) (UK) = conduct an opera (USA)
Conservatoire - Conservatory
bar (UK) = measure (USA)
Notes (UK - USA):
Breve - A note of two bars' length (a count of 8) in 4/4 time (no AmE equivalent of which I'm aware)
Crotchet - Quarter note
Minim - Half note
Quaver - Eighth note
Semiquaver - Sixteenth note
Demisemiquaver - Thirty-second note
Hemidemisemiquaver - Sixty-fourth note
Semibreve - Whole note
Semitone - Half step
Anyone want to add to the list? I know there are some folks who are fluent in the Queen's English out there!
I stumbled on your blog and wonder if you've come across the American version of slur? In the ABRSM theory books, it is defined as two (sometimes three) notes, where the first is to be played with greater emphasis than the second, (Dance of the Hours?) Some of the American piano books that I use in teaching call a phrase mark a slur. Some lesson time is spent pointing out the two versions. I keep with 'phrase' and 'slur' a la UK because the two to me are very unique.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to all musicians!
A breve is called a "double whole note" in American terms
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