metronome

a mechanical device which indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music by producing a clicking sound from a pendulum with an adjustable period of swing

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Metronome

an instrument for aurally ascertaining the basic time values of the meter (Takf). Metronomes are used to attain the precise execution of the tempo of a musical work.

Instruments similar to the metronome were first made in the 17th century. The modern metronome, which was perfected by the Viennese craftsman J. N. Maelzel and patented in 1816, consists of a wooden pyramidal case with a scale of units, a mainspring, and a pendulum with a sliding weight. The oscillations of the pendulum are accompanied by a strictly even ticking. The number of oscillations per unit of time depends on the location of the weight. To set the metronome for the necessary number of ticks per minute, the weight is placed opposite the appropriate figure on the scale. The metronome is also used in physical culture exercises and laboratory experiments.

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References in periodicals archive

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