wholenote

Wholenote is a term used in music notation to refer to the whole note, the longest standard note value in modern Western notation. In American usage, the term is typically written as whole note, while wholenote can appear as a stylized or brand-related form in titles or publications.

Notation and duration

A whole note is represented by an open note head with no stem. Its duration is four quarter-note beats, though the audible length depends on the tempo of the piece. In time signatures that divide into four-beat measures, a whole note can commonly fill an entire bar, and it may be tied across barlines to sustain across measures.

Variations and context

In British usage, the equivalent value is called the semibreve. The concept of the whole note sits between shorter values such as half notes and quarter notes, and longer values in historical or complex notation. The term itself is primarily a theoretical and notational category used in teaching, arranging, and score preparation.

Historical background

The concept originated in medieval notation as part of the progression from longer to shorter note values. By the Renaissance, the modern understanding of the whole note as a four-beat duration within common practice had become standardized, though its exact proportional length can vary with tempo markings in performance.

See also

Quarter note, half note, semibreve, tempo.

Notes

As with any musical duration, the practical length of a wholenote depends on tempo markings and performance interpretation, not merely the written symbol.