pneum, -e Mus.
(pnjuːm, njuːm)
[ad. Gr. πνεῦµα: see next.]
= pneuma 2 b, neume 2.
| 1879 Helmore in Grove Dict. Mus. I. 17/1 Accents or marks, sometimes called pneums, for the regulation of recitation and singing were in use among the ancient Greeks and Hebrews, and are still used in the synagogues of the Jews. 1890 Athenæum 26 Apr. 450/3 Twenty specimens..selected to illustrate the gradual development of the ancient pneumes into the characters now used on a staff of lines and spaces. 1890 Daily News 1 May 7/5 Showing how the pneums and points gradually assumed the form of our modern notes. |