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A rhythmic device where two groups of three beats are reinterpreted as three groups of two, or vice versa. The ratio is 3:2.
Hemiola creates rhythmic ambiguity and tension by disrupting the established meter. In 3/4 time, a hemiola groups six beats as two groups of three (written across the barline). Brahms uses hemiola constantly — it is his signature rhythmic device. Use it to avoid metric monotony and to energize cadential approaches.
Brahms's Symphony No. 3, third movement — the Allegretto is saturated with hemiolas, creating the characteristic Brahmsian metric ambiguity.
Hemiola is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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