Re: \time 9/8 (3/4)

[David Kastrup]

Kieren MacMillan <kieren@kierenmacmillan.info> writes:

> Hi Carl,
>
>> Just curious, because I know precious little about polymetry.
>> Does 9/8 (3/4) mean anything different from (3 + 3 + 3)/8 ?
>
> Yes: the parenthetical notation is usually an instruction to alternate
> time signatures, not simply a clarification of intention. For example,
> in “West Side Story”, Bernstein uses 6/8 (3/4) to indicate that
> alternate bars should be felt/conducted as 6/8 then 3/4 then 6/8 then
> 3/4…

Just as an observation: "America" has much more of a triplet feeling in
its 6/8 to me than the 3rd movement of BWV1041 has in its 9/8.  Partly
it may be the syllabic rendition, partly the simple melodic structure.

-- 
David Kastrup