I see a 'C' like sign in the beginning of the staff. What does it mean?
The "C" after the clef in place of the time signature stands for "Common Time," and it is shorthand for 4/4 time.
If you see a "C" with a vertical line through it, that stands for "Cut Time," and it is shorthand for 2/2 time.
answered Nov 22 '13 at 12:35
The history goes that religious music was written in 3 time, reflecting the holy trinity.So a circle would be used. When music was written in 4 time, a BROKEN circle would be used. This over time became printed as a C. So it represents 4/4, but doesn't actually stand for 'common'.As above, when split, it means split time - 4/4 but played with a 'two' feel.
