Anacrusa

Figure 1. Example of anacrusa (red), in the piece BWV 736, by J. S. Bach. Play (?·i)

In music, the term upbeat (from the Greek ἀνάκρουσις [anákroːsis], "reverse") refers to the note or group of notes without an accent that precedes the first downbeat of a phrase and that, therefore, appear before the barline. It can appear at the beginning of the musical work or during it if the phrasing has that writing.

Graphic representation

Western music notation standards often include the recommendation that when a written musical work begins with an upbeat, the composer, copyist, typesetter, or publisher should drop the corresponding number of beats from the last bar of the score. so that the total number of beats in the piece is an integer. The measure in which the pick-up appears, just like the last measure, is not usually completed with rests, but rather is represented incomplete (see figure 2).

Uses and effects

The musical term upbeat implies the beginning of a musical piece or phrase before the first downbeat of the bar in which it is written. In the same way, this word can be used when talking about the measure that contains the note or the set of notes that precede the barline.

In an analogy with the Spanish language, if the word "anaCRUsa" were used as lyrics to a song, its stressed syllable (the third) would be used on the first beat of a measure. Consequently, "a-na" turns out to be the "Anacrusis" from "a-na-CRU-sa". In this way, anacrusis is formed when in a verse there are syllables preceding the first tonic. Example, in 4/4 time:

Ritmo: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 etc.

Letra: - a na CRU sa a na CRU sa etc.

The upbeat characterizes one of the types of beginnings of melodies from the rhythmic point of view:

• Taetical: it is a start in a strong time, that is, it coincides with the accent.
• Anacrúsico: it is a start in a weak time.

In poetry anacrusis is the set of syllables that precede the first full foot of a verse. Most common in iambic pentameter verse, this technique applies a variation on the typical pentameter verse making it appear trocheo at first glance.

History and examples

The term was first used in 1816 by G. Hermann. Some examples of incipit of musical works in pick-upbeat:

• Loure of the French Suite No. 5 in larger sun, BWV 816Johann Sebastian Bach.
• Suite No. 3 for cello only in do mayor, BWV 1009Johann Sebastian Bach.
• The first movement of the Sonata for piano op. 2 No. 1Ludwig van Beethoven.
• The beginning of "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön", the famous aria of Tamino in my major bemol The magic fluteWolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Figure 2. It shows, in "12 Days", notation of a musical phrase with anacrusa.