Mensura (notation)

Mensura ( lat. Mensura - size), in the menstrual notation of the Western European Middle Ages and Renaissance - the numerical relationship between two neighboring (closest) rhythmic quantities. The triple (historically earlier) relationship was called perfect (from lat. Perfectio - perfection, completeness) menzura, double - imperfect (imperfect).

Four basic gimmicks. The sign in the second column shows at the same time the tempo and prolation in the given scale. Sequence numbering (Roman numerals from I to IV) is conditional.

The censorship of longs and brevis was called mode ( lat. Modus ), brevis and semibrevis - tempus ( lat. Tempus - time), semibrevis and minima - prolation ( lat. Prolatio - extension). In classical menzural rhythm (XIV-XV centuries.) Four main menzory were distinguished. For their designation, special signs were used (see the illustration, the Sign. Column), which were placed at the beginning of the first musician like modern sizes : the circle symbolized perfection / completeness (= perfect tempo), the incomplete circle - imperfection (= imperfect tempo).

Prior to the establishment of verbal tempo and digital ( metronomical ) notations, the change of scale in music was interpreted as an indication of a change in tempo .