noun
- a musical note having the time value of four quarter notes or a whole measure in four-four time
Usage: music
Examples
- The composer wrote a semibreve at the end of the piece to create a long, sustained note.
- In the slow movement, the melody begins with a semibreve held by the strings.
- The student learned that a semibreve lasts four beats in common time.
- The choir held the final semibreve for its full duration.
- On the staff, a semibreve appears as an open oval note head without a stem.
- The organist played a semibreve chord that filled the cathedral with sound.