Illustration of added beat
added beat
- Definition:
In
compound 4/4 meter, the final half-note span
of a phrase lasting a non-even number of half measures. Added beats
arise most frequently within diminutions containing a
non-duple number of components, such as linear progressions
spanning a third. The extra beat allows the harmonic rhythm
to remain constant instead of changing to conform to the
notated meter. Added beats therefore coincide with tonal
events that, in Schenker's words, "serve a diminution organically."
(See Free Composition, #297, p. 124) If a phrase with an
added beat begins on a notated downbeat, the next phrase will
begin with a mid-bar
downbeat. If a phrase
begins with a mid-bar downbeat and concludes with an added beat, phrase
beginnings will realign with notated downbeats. See
compound
4/4 and Burkhart
(1994).
