User Contributed Dictionary
Pronunciation
IPA: /ænə'kru:sɪs/Noun
anacrusis (also known as a pick-up)Translations
(prosody) an unstressed syllable at the start of
a verse
- German: Auftakt
- Italian: anacrusi
- Russian: анакруза
(music) an unstressed note (or notes) before the
first strong beat of a phrase
- Catalan: anacrusi
- Dutch: opmaat
- German: Auftakt, Anakrusis
- Italian: anacrusi
- Portuguese: anacruse
- Russian: затакт
- Spanish: anacrusa
- ttbc Dutch: opmaat
- ttbc Japanese: 弱起
- ttbc Portuguese: anacruse
Extensive Definition
- See also: Upbeat
(music)
- For the Progressive/Thrash Metal group please refer to Anacrusis (band).
In poetry, anacrusis is the lead-in
syllables,
collectively, that precede the first full measure. Similarly, in
music, it is the note or
notes (even a phrase)
which precede the first downbeat in a group. In the
latter sense an anacrusis is often called a pickup, pickup note, or
pickup measure, referring to the syncopation. A piece of
music beginning with an anacrusis will also end before the last
beat of the last bar, in order to keep the number of bars in the
entire piece at a whole number.
In the song "Happy
Birthday to You", the anacrusis forms the Happy and the accent
is on Birthday.
In the Star
Spangled Banner, the word Oh in the first line is an anacrusis
in both the music and the anapestic meter of
the poem:
anacrusis in Catalan: Anacrusi
anacrusis in German: Auftakt
anacrusis in Spanish: Anacrusa
anacrusis in Italian: Anacrusi
anacrusis in Dutch: Opmaat
anacrusis in Japanese: 弱起
anacrusis in Portuguese: Anacruse
anacrusis in Russian:
Анакруза