Prolation Prolation Prolation is a term used in the theory of the mensural notation of medieval and Renaissance music to describe its rhythmic structure on a small scale, as opposed to "tempus", which described a larger scale. The term "prolation" is derived from the Latin "prolatio", first used by Philippe de Vitry in describing Ars Nova, a musical style that came about in 14th-century France. Prolation, together with tempus, corresponds roughly to the concept of time signature in modern music. Prolation describes whether a semibreve (whole note) is equal in length to two minims (half notes) ("minor prolation" or "imperfect prolation";
Four on the floor (music) Four on the floor (music) Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm pattern used primarily in disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in 4/4 time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4) in common time. This was popularized in the disco music of the 1970s and the term "four-on-the-floor" was widely used in that era: it originated with the pedal-operated, drum-kit bass drum. Earl Young is seen as the inventor of the disco style of rock drumming (in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes's "The Love I Lost"