Meaning & use
Longa
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In medieval and Renaissance musical notation, a note value equal to two or three breves, representing a long sustained duration.
See it in a sentence
The manuscript used a longa to mark the opening drone of the chant.
Music theory students learn the longa as part of the mensural notation system.
A note on using this word
Part of the old mensural notation hierarchy (maxima, longa, breve, semibreve), largely replaced by modern note values like whole and half notes.
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