Posted by Chuck(G) on February 23, 2003 at 20:55:01:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 8va heros posted by Rick Denney on February 22, 2003 at 13:39:32:
Thanks for the support, Rick. I've used other notation sources, but it boils down to this:
8va (properly written) is the feminine ordinal number 8. Most European languages (including English) form the shorthand ordinal from the cardinal by adding an abbreviated suffix. This technique dates from medieval Latin where abbreviations were often formed by writing the terminal part of a word by retaining a trailing letter or two, usually written superscript and underlined (our abbreviation "viz." is short for Latin "videlicet", "namely". Originally written as viet. "Et", while being the terminal letters of "videlicet" is also Latin for "and" was commonly stylistically abbreviated as "z" or an ampersand & (take a good look at the character and find the "et"), hence "viz.". Those monks from the dark ages still haunt our language.
So 8va=ottava=eighth; nothing more and nothing less. The direction, if not specified, is usually implied to be upward, but can be specified. Hence "ottava bassa", "lower eighth".
So to assume that the "a" in "8va" means "higher" is on a par with assuming that the "h" in "8th" means "higher" or "hedgehog" or "how 'bout that".