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Cut time — the half note gets the beat instead of the quarter note. Equivalent to 2/2 time. Marked with the symbol ₵.
Alla breve makes music feel faster and lighter by grouping beats in twos rather than fours. Music that looks complex in 4/4 often looks and feels simpler in 2/2. Use it for fast movements where four-beat conducting would be too slow, or for music with a strong two-beat feel.
Many of Bach's fugues are in alla breve — the half-note pulse gives the counterpoint a flowing, unhurried quality despite fast note values.
Alla breve is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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