A compositional technique where a musical theme is presented with note values shortened proportionally, typically halving the original duration of each note. This creates a faster, more active version of the original melody.
From Latin 'diminutio' meaning 'a lessening,' from 'diminuere' (to lessen, break into small pieces). Like augmentation, this technique emerged in medieval polyphony and became essential to contrapuntal composition, allowing composers to create varied repetitions of thematic material.
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