Music A-Level
Palindromic rhythms
What Palindromic rhythms means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Palindromic rhythms
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Reference: AQA
Rhythmic sequences that are identical whether played forwards or backwards, often termed non-retrogradable rhythms by Messiaen.
Topics that use Palindromic rhythms
- Area of study 7: Art music since 1910 - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- 20th-century chord structures
- 20th-century compositional techniques
- 20th-century rhythmic innovation
- A cappella
- Additive and subtractive processes
- Alternatives to functional tonality
- Atonality
- Atonality and tonality
Using Palindromic rhythms in the exam
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