What is "simultaneity"

Simultaneity \Si`mul*ta*ne"i*ty\, n. The quality or state of being simultaneous; simultaneousness.

1650s, from simultaneous + -ity.

n. 1 The quality or state of being simultaneous; simultaneousness. 2 (context music English) More than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time. This first appeared in the music of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%20Ives, and is common in the music of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conlon%20Nancarrow, and others.

n. happening or existing or done at the same time [syn: simultaneousness]

Simultaneity is the property of two events happening at the same time in a frame of reference. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, simultaneity is not an absolute property between events; what is simultaneous in one frame of reference will not necessarily be simultaneous in another. (See Relativity of simultaneity.) For inertial frames moving with respect to one another at speeds small compared to the speed of light, this effect is small and can for practical matters be ignored, such that simultaneity can be treated as an absolute property.

The word derives from the Latin simul, at the same time (see sem-1 in Indo-European Roots) plus the suffix -taneous, abstracted from spontaneous (which in turn comes directly from Latin).

The noun simult means a supernatural coincidence, two or more divinely inspired events that occur at or near the same period of time that are related to each other in both noticeable and unnoticeable characteristics.

• In econometrics, it arises when one or more of the explanatory variables is jointly determined with the dependent variable, typically through an equilibrium mechanism.
• In criminal law, for a criminal violation to be established, it usually must be shown that there was simultaneity of actus reus and mens rea.
• In mathematics, a system of equations or a set of simultaneous equations share variables; a solution is a set of variable values for which all these equations are satisfied together.
• In music, see Simultaneity (music).
• In physics, see Relativity of simultaneity.
• In marketing, simultaneity is one of the characteristics of a service which differentiates it from a product. It refers to the idea that the production and consumption of a service occur simultaneously, making it impossible to produce and store a service prior to consumption.
• Simultaneous publishing is the publication of a work by two or more entities within a short duration, requiring both entities to hold non-exclusive rights to the work.
• In computer science, see Concurrency (computer_science).

In music, a simultaneity is more than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time, rather than in succession. This first appeared in the music of Charles Ives, and is common in the music of Conlon Nancarrow and others.

In music theory, a pitch simultaneity is more than one pitch or pitch class all of which occur at the same time, or simultaneously: "A set of notes sounded together." Simultaneity is a more specific and more general term than chord: many but not all chords or harmonies are simultaneities, though not all but some simultaneities are chords. For example, arpeggios are chords whose tones are not simultaneous. "The practice of harmony typically involves both simultaneity...and linearity."

A simultaneity succession is a series of different groups of pitches or pitch classes, each of which is played at the same time as the other pitches of its group. Thus, a simultaneity succession is a succession of simultaneities.

Similarly, simultaneity succession is a more general term than chord progression or harmonic progression: most chord progressions or harmonic progressions are then simultaneity successions, though not all simultaneity successions are harmonic progressions and not all simultaneities are chords.