accidental colours
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
See COLOURS. Accidentals in music are signs indicating sharps, flats, naturals, and double sharps and flats, other than those sharps and flats pre- scribed by the key-signature.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “accidental colours” mean?
See COLOURS. Accidentals in music are signs indicating sharps, flats, naturals, and double sharps and flats, other than those sharps and flats pre- scribed by the key-signature.
Is “accidental colours” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.