OT - time signatures - international terminology

[Andreo Basisto]

Greetings all

I hope you’ll allow me a non-Finale question. I am currently working on a music terminology in Esperanto. Concerning time signatures, I’ve always classed them as either ‘simple’ or ‘compound’, but a Polish colleague doesn’t accept that. In Poland time signatures are either ‘simple’ or ‘combined’. They are all based on 2 beats or 3 beats, so, for example 4/4 is a combined 2/4 + 2/4; 6/8 is a combined 3/8 + 3/8.

It would be good to find out which of the two systems is the most widespread in the world.

Many thanks in advance!

Andreo Basisto

[motet]

Never heard of "combined." In any case, you perhaps still want to distinguish between what most people call simple and compound, which it looks like the Polish system doesn't do.

[HaraldS]

In Poland time signatures are either ‘simple’ or ‘combined’. They are all based on 2 beats or 3 beats, so, for example 4/4 is a combined 2/4 + 2/4; 6/8 is a combined 3/8 + 3/8.

This is not necessarily a typical polish terminology, but merely describes the historic origin of time signatures, which derive from the proportions in mensural notation (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensural_notation).
Whether you prefer "compound" or "combined" is a matter of taste.

[motet]

If 4/4 is "combined" as Andreo said, it's not just a matter of taste.