Double whole note

Left: breve in modern notation. Centre: breve in mensural notation used in some modern scores as well. Right: less common stylistic variant of the first form.

In music, a double whole note (American), breve (British) or double note[1][2] lasts two times as long as a whole note (or semibreve). It is the second-longest note value still in use in modern music notation.[2] The longest notated note is the longa, which could be double or triple the length of a breve, although its use is most commonly found in early music. The longest notated note (though now obsolete) is the maxima.

  1. ^ Baker 1895, p. 133.
  2. ^ a b Burrowes 1874, p. 41.