(Fr. frappé).
The explicit or implied impulse that coincides with the beginning of a bar in measured music, by analogy with the downstroke in conducting (the ‘thesis’ of Arsis, thesis). The term is mainly applied to music in a regular metre or articulated by metrical stress, where downbeats create a periodic occurrence and are usually given articulation through dynamic increase (i.e. Accent) or lengthening of durational value (i.e. Agogic accent). It is contrasted with Upbeat, the name given to a relatively weak impulse at which a note or succession of notes anticipates the downbeat, and with Off-beat, a term denoting a weaker impulse following the downbeat and usually applied to situations in which the downbeat is silent, tied over from the previous bar or otherwise understressed. For a discussion of the concept of downbeat in the 15th and 16th centuries, see Tactus.
See also Rhythm.
JULIAN RUSHTON