whole note

noun

, Music.

1. a note equivalent in duration to four quarter notes.

whole note

noun

1. 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 Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)semibreve

Word History and Origins

Origin of whole note¹

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Figure 1.39: Note lengths work just like fractions in arithmetic: two half notes or four quarter notes last the same amount of time as one whole note.

From Literature

We hold whole notes twice as long as halves.

From Literature

“I write long-line stuff in either whole notes or half notes,” he added.

From New York Times

I maintain that it's mixing pronouns if the whole note is from him, but we both sign it.

From Washington Post

“There’s things you can do with tone and whole notes that also induce relaxation,” Conley said.

From Washington Times