Brevis

What it means

The brevis is a note value from mensural notation. Its name — Latin brevis, “short” — is misleading today: in modern notation it corresponds to the double whole note and is thus the longest value in common use. It was short only in relation to the still longer longa, against which it stood as the shorter value.

In the mensural system, values were not divided in two throughout. Whether a brevis contained two or three semibreves was determined by the mensuration, indicated by dedicated signs at the beginning of the piece. The present-day symbols C and ¢ developed from these signs, and the name alla breve also derives from the brevis.

In the notation

In old manuscripts and prints the brevis appears as a rectangular note without a stem. In modern editions it is written as an oval or rectangular notehead with vertical lines on both sides and counts as a double whole note. The corresponding rest extends as a short vertical bar across one whole space of the staff.

Musical use

In the vocal polyphony of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the brevis is a basic value of the notation; settings of this period are notated in large values, which corresponds to a slower way of counting. Modern editions of early music often halve the values to make the notation more familiar — anyone comparing the original with the transcription must take this into account. In more recent music the brevis appears only occasionally, for instance in slow movements with broad note values or in organ literature.

Performance practice

First convert the value: two whole notes, in 4/4 time therefore two full bars. Count in smaller units so that the duration does not come out too short; with very long values, people almost always move on too early. With editions of early music, check the preface to see whether the values have been transcribed before you choose the tempo. And, with wind and string instruments, plan breath or bow changes within the value.