LilyPond Music Glossary: 2. Duration names notes and rests

# 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

#### LilyPond — Music Glossary