alla breve
[ ah-luh -brev-ey; Italian ahl-lah -bre-ve ]
/ ˈɑ lə ˈbrɛv eɪ; Italian ˈɑl lɑ ˈbrɛ vɛ /
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adverb, adjective Music.
using the half note as the basic time unit; 2/2 time. Symbol:
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Also called cut time.
Compare common time.
Origin of alla breve
1800–10; <Italian: in short time, accelerated. See brief
Words nearby alla breve
alkyl halide, alkylic, alkyne, alkyne series, all, alla breve, allachesthesia, Allah, Allahabad, Allahu Akbar, all along
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for alla breve
British Dictionary definitions for alla breve
alla breve
/ (ˈælə ˈbreɪvɪ, Italian ˈalla ˈbrɛːve) /
noun
a musical time signature indicating two or four minims to a bar
adjective, adverb
twice as fast as normal
Usual symbol: Symbol:
Word Origin for alla breve
C19: Italian, literally: (according) to the breve
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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