alla breve
(Ah-lah BRAY-vay)
[It.]
A tempo marking indicating a quick duple meter with the half note rather than the quarter note getting the beat (2/2 rather than 4/4). Both the name and the sign are a vestige of mensural notation and of the proportions (Tempus imperfectum diminutum).See also cut time.
More about tempo markings
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