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semibreve

[ sem-ee-breev, -brev, sem-ahy- ]

noun

, Music (chiefly British).
  1. a note half the length of a breve; whole note.


semibreve

/ ˈsɛmɪˌbriːv /

noun

  1. music a note, now the longest in common use, having a time value that may be divided by any power of 2 to give all other notes Usual US and Canadian namewhole note See also breve
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of semibreve1

First recorded in 1585–95; semi- + breve
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Example Sentences

One day, when her mother was drawing little men, that turned out to be semibreves, Nancy, speechless with anger, put her hand to her soft hair, and dragged out a handful of it.

John Kane permitted to the salutation the full time due to it, in the manner of one who counts a semibreve rest, while the cart moved implacably onwards.

The twelve o'clock effect is curiously given by twelve sforzato semibreves on muted horns, beginning pianissimo, and swelling up until the twelfth note is given triple fortissimo.

The seven last letters of each series stand for the seven musical notes—the first series representing quavers, the second minims, the third semibreves, the fourth crotchets.

This big note with a hole in it is a semibreve and it counts four of these black notes, which are called crotchets.

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