noun
- a musical rhythm in which two bars in triple time are performed as if they were three bars in duple time, or vice versa
Usage: music theory
Examples
- The composer used hemiola to create rhythmic tension in the final movement.
- Baroque composers frequently employed hemiola at cadential points.
- The hemiola effect made the dancers shift their emphasis unexpectedly.
- Students struggled to identify the hemiola in the Brahms piece.
- The conductor emphasized the hemiola by adjusting the tempo slightly.
- Hemiola creates a cross-rhythm that challenges both performers and listeners.