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2 Duration names notes and rests

Lang.	note name	rest name	note name	rest name
US	long	long rest	breve	breve rest
UK	longa	longa rest	breve	breve rest
ES	longa	silencio de longa	cuadrada	silencio de cuadrada
IT	longa	pausa di longa	breve	pausa di breve
FR	longa	quadruple-pause	brève	double-pause
DE	Longa	longa Pause	Brevis	brevis Pause
NL	longa	longa rust	brevis	brevis rust
DK	longa	longanodespause	brevis	brevis(nodes)pause
SE	longa	longapaus	brevis	brevispaus
FI	longa-nuotti	longa-tauko	brevis-nuotti, kaksoiskokonuotti	brevis-tauko, kaksoiskokotauko

Lang.	note name	rest name	note name	rest name
US	whole note	whole rest	half note	half rest
UK	semibreve	semibreve rest	minim	minim rest
ES	redonda	silencio de redonda	blanca	silencio de blanca
IT	semibreve	pause di semibreve	minima	pausa di minima
FR	ronde	pause	blanche	demi-pause
DE	ganze Note	ganze Pause	halbe Note	halbe Pause
NL	hele noot	hele rust	halve noot	halve rust
DK	helnode	helnodespause	halvnode	halvnodespause
SE	helnot	helpaus	halvnot	halvpaus
FI	kokonuotti	kokotauko	puolinuotti	puolitauko

Lang.	note name	rest name	note name	rest name
US	quarter note	quarter rest	eighth note	eighth rest
UK	crotchet	crotchet rest	quaver	quaver rest
ES	negra	silencio de negra	corchea	silencio de corchea
IT	semiminima, nera	pausa di semiminima, pausa di nera	croma	pausa di croma
FR	noire	soupir*	croche*	demi-soupir
DE	Viertelnote	Viertelpause	Achtelnote	Achtelpause
NL	kwartnoot	kwartrust	achtste noot	achtste rust
DK	fjerdedelsnode	fjerdedelspause	ottendedelsnode	ottendedelspause
SE	fjärdedelsnot	fjärdedelspaus	åttondelsnot	åttondelspaus
FI	neljäsosanuotti	neljäsosatauko	kahdeksasosanuotti	kahdeksasosatauko

* About the French naming system: croche refers to the note’s ‘hook’. Therefore, from the eighth note on, the note names mean ‘hook’, ‘doubled hook’, ‘trebled hook’, and so on.

The rest names are based on the soupir, or quarter rest. Subsequent rests are expressed as fractions thereof: half a soupir, a quarter of a soupir, and so on.

Each of the following tables contains one type of note and its matching rest, with abbreviations that apply to both notes and rests. Just switch the part that means ‘note’ with the part that means ‘rest’, for example:

• English: 16th note, 16th rest
• German: 32tel-Note, 32tel-Pause
• Finnish: 64-osanuotti, 64-osatauko

Editor’s note: I put a dash ‘-’ when I could not find a language-specific abbreviation for a duration name. If you know of one that I missed, please send it to me, care of the lilypond-user discussion list.

Lang.	Note name	Rest name	Abbr.
US	sixteenth note	sixteenth rest	16th note
UK	semiquaver	semiquaver rest	-
ES	semicorchea	silencio de semicorchea	-
IT	semicroma	pausa di semicroma	-
FR	double croche	quart de soupir	-
DE	Sechzehntelnote	Sechzehntelpause	16tel-Note
NL	zestiende noot	zestiende rust	16e noot
DK	sekstendedelsnode	sekstendedelspause	-
SE	sextondelsnot	sextondelspaus	-
FI	kuudestoistaosanuotti	kuudestoistaosatauko	16-osanuotti

Lang.	Note name	Rest name	Abbr.
US	thirty-second note	thirty-second rest	32nd note
UK	demisemiquaver	demisemiquaver rest	-
ES	fusa	silencio de fusa	-
IT	biscroma	pausa di biscroma	-
FR	triple croche	huitième de soupir	-
DE	Zweiunddreißigstelnote	Zweiunddreißigstelpause	32tel-Note
NL	tweeendertigste noot	tweeendertigste rust	32e noot
DK	toogtredivtedelsnode	toogtredivtedelspause	-
SE	trettiotvåondelsnot	trettiotvåondelspaus	-
FI	kolmaskymmeneskahdesosanuotti	kolmaskymmeneskahdesosatauko	32-osanuotti

Lang.	Note name	Rest name	Abbr.
US	sixty-fourth note	sixty-fourth rest	64th note
UK	hemidemisemiquaver	hemidemisemiquaver rest	-
ES	semifusa	silencio de semifusa	-
IT	semibiscroma	pausa di semibiscroma	-
FR	quadruple croche	seizième de soupir	-
DE	Vierundsechzigstelnote	Vierundsechzigstelpause	64tel-Note
NL	vierenzestigste noot	vierenzestigste rust	64e noot
DK	fireogtredsindstyvendedelsnode	fireogtredsindstyvendedelspause	-
SE	sextiofjärdedelsnot	sextiofjärdedelspaus	-
FI	kuudeskymmenesneljäsosanuotti	kuudeskymmenesneljäsosatauko	64-osanuotti

Lang.	Note name	Rest name	Abbr.
US	one-hundred-twenty-eighth note	one-hundred-twenty-eighth rest	128th note
UK	semihemidemisemiquaver	semihemidemisemiquaver rest	-
ES	garrapatea	silencio de garrapatea	-
IT	fusa	pausa di fusa	-
FR	quintuple croche	trente-deuxième de soupir	-
DE	Hundertachtundzwanzigstelnote	Hundertachtundzwanzigstelpause	128tel-Note
NL	honderdachtentwintigste noot	honderdachtentwintigste rust	128e noot
DK	hundredeotteogtyvendedelsnode	hundredeotteogtyvendedelspause	-
SE	hundratjugoåttondelsnot	hundratjugoåttondelspaus	-
FI	sadaskahdeskymmeneskahdeksasosanuotti	sadaskahdeskymmeneskahdeksasosatauko	128-osanuotti

Lang.	Note name	Rest name	Abbr.
US	two-hundred-fifty-sixth note	two-hundred-fifty-sixth rest	256th note
UK	demisemihemidemisemiquaver	demisemihemidemisemiquaver rest	-
ES	semigarrapatea	silencio de semigarrapatea	-
IT	semifusa	pausa di semifusa	-
FR	sextuple croche	soixante-quatrième de soupir	-
DE	Zweihundertsechsundfünfzigstelnote	Zweihundertsechsundfünfzigstelpause	256tel-Note
NL	tweehonderdzesenvijftigste noot	tweehonderdzesenvijftigste rust	256e noot
DK	tohundredeseksoghalvtredsendedelsnode	tohundredeseksoghalvtredsendedelspause	-
SE	tvåhundrafemtiosjättedelsnot	tvåhundrafemtiosjättedelspaus	-
FI	kahdessadasviideskymmeneskuudesosanuotti	kahdessadasviideskymmeneskuudesosatauko	256-osanuotti

See also

mensural notation.