The Evaluation of Tempo
Mieczyslaw Kolinski · Ethnomusicology · 1959
empo constitutes, of course, an essential element of musii cal expression. Therefore, a thorough examination of its characteristic features is required when musical styles are being described or compared. Thus far, measurements of tempo have been based exclusively on metronomic values. This method seems, at first sight, perfectly adequate since metronomic indications appear to define the tempo of a piece of music precisely. In reality, however, a metronomic value represents by no means an absolute indication of a certain speed. Frequently, songs with similar metronomic marks differ widely in kind and frequency of the durational values employed. This implies a considerable contrast in their actual tempo. For example, a piece consisting predominantly of eighth and sixteenth notes has a much faster inner speed than a piece where quarter and half notes prevail, although the metronomic indications might be identical. Moreover, in many instances the transcriber or composer may choose between different ways of notating one and the same piece of music and can use markedly different metronomic figures for a given speed. The following example (Kolinski, 1938: song 442) gives the beginning of a Yoruba song in two notations with the tempo indications j 96 and 4 = 192, respectively.