Quartal

Categories: Chords | Music theory stubs

In music or music theory, quartal is the quality of a chord made from fourths, and other things constructed from fourths, such as counterpoint.

Examples include Maurice Ravel's "Mouvt de Marche" section of "Laideronnette" from Ma Mère l'Oye": Image:Ravel Ma Mere l'Oye Laideronnette.PNG

(Murphy, Melcher, and Warch, eds., 1973)

Chords which may be considered as built from fifths, called quintal, because of inversion, are actually quartal.

The quartal numeral system is the base four system, and uses the digits 0-3. Two quartal digits contain a nybble; four contain a byte. A single quartal digit can be described by two bits.

Quartal numerals can be made from binary numerals by grouping consecutive digits into pairs (from right).

E.g.: The binary representation for decimal 74 is 1001010, which groups into 1 00 10 10. So the quartal representation is 1022.

Compare: binary, octal, hexadecimal.

See also: computer numbering formats.

Image:Eighth notes and rest.png

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