Natural

Figure 1. A fa Box
Play the natural and then the bemol. (?·i)

The becuadro (♮) is a well-known musical sign as an alteration that affects the frequency of a note, canceling or nullifying the effect of a sharp (♯) or a flat (♭) such that the note or notes to which it refers They should sound with their natural intonation. It is represented in sheet music by this symbol (♮). Without the presence of the becuadro, both the sharp and the flat modify all the notes of the same name and frequency that are to their right within the same measure.

Etymology

Figure 2. "B molle" and "B durum".

The term «becuadro», like «flat», comes from the ancient music tradition of using the letter «b» to name the note Bi. This note was the only one in Gregorian chant that could be altered, that is, the only one whose intonation was variable since it could be intoned "low" or "high". This difference was reflected in the scores in primitive plainchant notation (see Figure 2).

• To represent the "low" intonation the letter "b" was written with the rounded belly ("b molle"which derives “bemol”), which later resulted in the symbol of the bemol and the German name “B” for the note Yes (♫).
• To represent the "high" intonation the letter "b" was written with the square belly («b durum»Hence the denomination "square" which evolved into the symbol of the bench and the sustain.

Many languages have maintained this etymology in the term to designate this musical alteration. Thus, for example, it is called «becuadro» in Spanish and Galician; “bequadro” in Italian and Portuguese; “bécarre” in French, “becaire” in Catalan. The exception is the English language which calls it "natural" which means "natural, unaltered".

Graphic representation

The font is represented by the ♮ symbol, derived from the old square b. In the score it can be found in a key signature change (see Figure 3) or as an accidental alteration.

• When their own alterations are part of a change of armor and they can be drawn on the staff before the double bar (see Figure 3) that marks the change or later (see Figure 4). The alterations of this class always appear according to a certain order, which in the case of the box admits two possibilities:
  • If the beetles cancel the bemoles effect they will follow their order that is Yes - Mi - La - Re - Sol - Do - Fa.
  • If the squads cancel the effect of the support will follow their order that is Fa - Do - Sol - Re - La - Mi - Yes.

Figure 3. Boxes in a change of armor. Figure 4. Boxes in another armor change.

• When it is an accidental alteration it is written at any point of the score to the left of the head of the note to which it affects, in the same way as the sustained or the bemol.

In computing

In Unicode this symbol is found at U+266E.

In symbology for web pages, the string ♮ is used and appears as ♮.

In LaTeX, the symbol ▪ ▪ {displaystyle natural} is obtained with the command natural{displaystyle backslash ,natural}in a mathematical environment (… in Wikipedia or $ … $ in LATEX{displaystyle mathbf {L!!^{{{}_{scriptstyle A}!!!!!;T!_{displaystyle E}!X} }).

On Wikipedia it is recommended to use the {{music}} template to generate a becuadro by typing {{music|becuadro}}, which results in: ♮, since Unicode does not work on all computers.

Uses and effects

As own alteration

As its own alteration, it is normally placed in key signature changes when it goes from more to less flats, from more to less sharps, from flats to sharps or from sharps to flats. In these cases, the becuadros cancel the alterations of the previous armor, which will no longer have an effect on the new one.

As accidental alteration

The accidental beat has the already mentioned use of canceling the effect of a previous alteration on the same musical note, whether proper (of the key signature) or accidental. Thus, it affects the musical note before the one it is written, as well as all the notes of the same name and frequency that are in the measure where it is located. In other words, it affects all the same sounds to the right of the frame until the next barline. Accidentals do not affect the same note in a different octave, unless indicated in the key signature.

If that same note should again carry an accidental beyond the barline, that accidental must be repeated in each new measure that is necessary. These types of accidentals do not repeat for repeated notes unless one or more different sounds or rests are involved. They are also not repeated in tied notes unless the slur is moved from line to line or page to page.

Becuadro and#34;complimentary#34;

However, the use of the "courtesy" character is very common, which is not strictly necessary according to the conventional rule, but plays an important role in the ease of reading musical notation. The courtesy becuadro is placed to the left of a note that has been altered in a previous bar -- whose effect has therefore ceased -- to remind the reader that the intonation of this note is natural. It is also necessary to place a becuadro when the same note has been altered by another octave, to emphasize the natural, unaltered intonation of the note in the present octave.

Related Accidentals

Previously there were three double accidentals based on becuadro, which have fallen out of use in modern music, having become obsolete with the advent of equal temperament:

• The "double beckon", which nullified the effect of double sustained or double bemol according to the case.
• The "supposed box."
• The "bell-bell squad".

Double box. Sustained bench. Bemol.