octavo in music meaning | TheMusicDictionary

Meaning of Octavo in Music

In music, the term "octavo" has different meanings depending on the context. Let's explore a few of them:

1. **Choral Octavo**: A choral octavo refers to a type of sheet music that includes a brief choral work and is often published as a booklet. It is commonly used for popular and religious music.

2. **Octave Sign**: In musical notation, an octave sign is used to indicate that a section of music should be played one octave higher or lower than written. The notation "8va" (from the Italian word "ottava," meaning octave) is used to indicate playing one octave higher, while "8vb" is used to indicate playing one octave lower.

3. **Book Size**: The term "octavo" can also refer to the size of a book. In this context, an octavo book is generally between 8 and 10 inches tall.

It's important to note that the meaning of "octavo" can vary depending on the specific musical or literary context.

1. A standard size of sheet music that was derived from standard printing practices of the 19th century. Typically, printers would start with a "sheet" of paper that was about the size of an unfolded newspaper (today that is about 25 inches by 30 inches). Folding the paper in half would result in four pages for a "folio" size (about 25 inches by 15 inches). A second fold would create eight pages for a "quarto" size (about 12 1/2 inches by 15 inches). A third fold creates the octavo size (about 12 1/2 inches by 7 1/2 inches). When the paper is trimmed, the octavo size is about 7 inches by 10 3/4 inches. This is sometimes abbreviated as 8vo (pronounced "eight-v-o") or 8°.

2. A generic term for sheet music (typically in the form of a booklet) containing a short choral work. This term comes from the fact that most most popular and liturgical choral works are printed on the octavo size paper (about 7 inches by 10 3/4 inches). This sheet music generally contains all of the vocal parts with the piano accompaniment. In the case of a cappella music or music that is accompanied by other ensembles where piano accompaniment is not needed, the octavo will often include the the piano accompaniment for rehearsal purposes.