Undecuple meter

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11
4 time signature at 60 BPM

Undecuple meter or undecuple time is a musical meter in which each measure is divided into 11 equally spaced beats, usually notated as either 11
4 or 11
8. It is usually subdivided into groupings of two or three beats (for example, a grouping of the meter could be 2+2+2+2+3).

The meter remained largely unused until the 19th century, when Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov used it in his operas The Snow Maiden and Sadko.

Because 11 is a prime number, undecuple meter is considered a complex time signature. It can be found in jazz, pop, and rock music.

In folk music[edit]

Kopanitsa[edit]

Main article: Kopanitsa

Kopanitsa is a form of Bulgarian folk music that utilizes certain forms of undecuple meter (typically 11
8). The terms are also used to describe the folk dances that are frequently performed alongside the music.Typically, kopanitsa's usage of undecuple meter will divide the measure into groupings of 2+2+3+2+2. This usage is referred to as a pattern of quick-quick-slow-quick-quick.

Gankino horo[edit]

Main article: Gankino horo

Gankino horo is another form of Bulgarian folk music that utilizes undecuple meter. Similarly to the aforementioned kopanitsa, gankino horo also utilizes an 11
8 time signature subdivided as 2+2+3+2+2.[citation needed]

Usage in classical music[edit]

17th century[edit]

A rare example of undecuple meter in the 17th century is found in Claude Le Jeune's "Cygne je suis de candeur", notated in 11
4.[1] Another example (also in 11
4) is found in the John Bull piece In Nomine IX in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.[2]

19th century[edit]

In his analysis of the rhythms found within the music of Ravel, French philosopher and musicologist Vladimir Jankélévitch notes in a surprised manner that Rimsky-Korsakov uses the 11
4 time signature in the final song of his opera The Snow Maiden, as well as the first song in his opera Sadko.[3] In the former piece—"Hymn to Yarilo"—the composer innovated by composing in a way that contrasted the meter's complex, unbalanced feeling with major chords and a majestic Allegro maestoso tempo.[4]

Excerpt from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Hymn to Yarilo", demonstrating the usage of 11
4

20th century[edit]

Jean Cras's 1927 composition Suite en duo for flute and harp (or flute and piano) ends with an animated dance section in an 11
8 time signature.

Excerpt from Cras's Suite en duo

Characteristics[edit]

Structure[edit]

As a complex time signature, undecuple time is frequently subdivided into smaller groupings of two and three beats. In his book A Funky Thesaurus for the Rock Drummer, Charles Dowd notes that the time signature offers more combinations of groupings than smaller complex time signatures.[5] Undecuple time can be subdivided into nine unique groupings of two and three beats.[5]

Example subdivisions demonstrated in Dowd's work include groupings such as 2+2+2+3+2, 2+2+3+2+2, and 2+3+2+2+2.

Difficulty[edit]

Due to its inherent uneven feeling, undecuple time can be a difficult meter to perform and conduct in. Conductor Nicolas Slonimsky once wrote in his autobiography Perfect Pitch: "I was used to compound measures like the one to 11
4, in Rimski-Korsakov's opera, Sadko, which was an awkward obstacle for the choirs, and sometimes for the conductor. In fact, the students of the Conservatory had developed a little tune on eleven syllables to practice this section of the score, with very unrespectful lyrics towards the great master of Russian music, Rimsky-Korsakov is completely insane."[6]

List of compositions wholly or partially in undecuple meter[edit]

Main article: List of musical works in unusual time signatures § Upper number of 11

11
4

11
8

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Verchaly, Andre (July 1953). "Claude Le Jeune, Airs (1608) Edited by D. P. Walker in Four Volumes, Vol. I, Part. I of the Premier Livre". Revue de musicologie. 35 (105/106): 105. doi:10.2307/927962.
  2. ^ "In Nomine à 4, FVB 119 (Bull, John) - IMSLP". imslp.org.
  3. ^ Jankélévitch, Vladimir (1995). Ravel. Paris: Éditions du Seuil. ISBN 978-2-02-023490-0.
  4. ^ Rimski-Korsakov, Nikolaï Andreïvitch; Lischke, André (2008). Chronique de ma vie musicale. Paris: Fayard. ISBN 978-2-213-63546-0.
  5. ^ a b Dowd, Charles (2005-05-03). A Funky Thesaurus for the Rock Drummer: Features Afro-Cuban Rhythms & Odd-Meter Rock Beats for Drum Set. Alfred Music. ISBN 978-1-4574-3457-0.
  6. ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas (1988). Perfect pitch: a life story. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-315155-3.
  7. ^ "Ask YES – Friday 26th April 2013 – Chris Squire". Yesworld. 2013-04-29.
  8. ^ "Concertino, K035 (Stravinsky, Igor) - IMSLP". imslp.org.
  9. ^ "Concerto in E-flat major, K060 (Stravinsky, Igor) - IMSLP". imslp.org.
  10. ^ Dave Brubeck Deluxe Piano Album. San Francisco: Derry Music Co. 1965. pp. 22–28.
  11. ^ Poe, Randy; Gibbons, Billy F. (2006). Skydog: the Duane Allman story. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-891-9.
  12. ^ "Devo: Daily Vault". dailyvault.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011.
  13. ^ ""St. Stephen/The Eleven," 'Live/Dead' (1969)". Rolling Stone Australia. 2020-08-06.
  14. ^ Primus Anthology: A thru N: For Guitar and Bass. New York: Cherry Lane Music. 2000. pp. 17–20. ISBN 1575601540.
  15. ^ Pedler, Dominic (2003). The songwriting secrets of The Beatles. London New York Paris Berlin: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-8167-6.
  16. ^ "14 Musical Works In The Most Unusual Time Signatures - CMUSE". web.archive.org. 2021-01-16. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021.
  17. ^ Boilen, Bob (22 March 2022). "New mix: Arcade Fire, Valerie June, the Smile, Andrew Bird, more". NPR.
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