Topmusicanswers
- Where does the word crotchet come from?
- What does crotchet mean?
- Why is a crotchet also called a quarter note?
- Is a quaver half a crotchet?
Where does the word crotchet come from?
The word "crotchet" comes from Old French crochet, meaning 'little hook', diminutive of croc, 'hook', because of the hook used on the note in black notation. However, because the hook appeared on the eighth note (or quaver) in the later white notation, the modern French term croche refers to an eighth note.
What does crotchet mean?
1 obsolete. a : a small hook or hooked instrument. b : brooch. 2a : a highly individual and usually eccentric opinion or preference.
Why is a crotchet also called a quarter note?
A crotchet in music is a note that is one beat long in 4/4 time. Americans call it a 'quarter-note' – a straight translation of the admirably clear German 'Viertelnote'. ... The term crotchet's direct ancestor is the French 'crochet', meaning a 'little hook'.
Is a quaver half a crotchet?
A quaver lasts for half a crotchet beat - so there are two to the time of a crotchet. A semiquaver lasts for a quarter of a crotchet beat - so there are four to the time of a crotchet.
