. . . the basses have another whole line before they even get to him.

[shootingstar]

(The choir, singing)
He (William, a chorister) sings with the trebles and basses, as they weave together, silken and soft into the gently stretched close of line, 'Tuuuu-aaaam.' According to your great kindness.
Back to Phillip (the choirmaster), whose eyes are fierce now, demanding his attention, but they're in the first deep basket of silence and after that, the basses have another whole line before they even get to him.

(From A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe, Part IV Midnight Choir, scene 56)

What does the adverb "even" express in that sentence in bold? Can "even" have a temporal meaning, a temporal component? I'd like to interpret this sentence as ". . . the basses have another whole line before they get to him again". I can't see there is any surprising, unusual or unexpected connected with "even" there.

 

[SoothingDave]

It's just for emphasis. You can omit it with basically the same meaning expressed.

Consider you have a crush on a girl in your school.

"She doesn't even know my name!" vs "She doesn't know my name."

 

[shootingstar]

It's just for emphasis. You can omit it with basically the same meaning expressed.

Thank you. Even though you are saying it's just for emphasis and can be omitted, I would like to know what adverb I can use instead of "even" in this context. Apologies for asking once again. It's easier for me to think of a synonym for a negative clause (your example) than for an affirmative one.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thank you. Even though you are saying it's just for emphasis and can be omitted, I would like to know what adverb I can use instead of "even" in this context. Apologies for asking once again. It's easier for me to think of a synonym for a negative clause (your example) than for an affirmative one.

It could be worded as "The basses have another whole line before they finally get to him." For me, the "even" (and my "finally") expresses not just emphasis but a slight sense of impatience or exasperation.