Embedded Files
Lesson Objectives
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Differentiate between meter, hypermeter, and phrase length.
Analyze hypermetric structure in examples from the repertoire.
List examples of pieces that use irregular and changing hypermeter.
Critically discuss how hypermeter affects a listener's perception of a piece of music and contributes to the overall structure of the work to provide contrast, stability, tension, and expressivity.
Preparation for Class
Preparation for Class
Read:
Read:
"Hypermeter" (Brian Jarvis)
"Phrase Rhythm: Seal, 'Kiss From a Rose" (Tim Chenette)
"Chasing Adele’s Phrase Rhythm" (Tim Chenette)
Watch
Watch
Hypermeter and Larger Musical Structures
[Video link - NYU Sign in]
(Sean Atkinson, 18 mins) **Begin the video at 4:00**
Hypermeter and Larger Musical Structures
[Video link - NYU Sign in]
(Sean Atkinson, 18 mins) **Begin the video at 4:00**
Songs That Don't Use 4-Bar Phrases
(David Bennet, 12 mins)
Songs That Don't Use 4-Bar Phrases
(David Bennet, 12 mins)
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Discussion
Discussion
Definitions: How would you define hypermeter? How is it different from meter and phrase lengths? What is the most common type of hypermeter? Can you provide a few examples?
Hypermeter and Perception: Work through the hypermeter ID practice in the anthology. (See "Repertoire for Practice" below). Consider the examples that are grouped into 3, 5, and 7-bar phrases. Do they sound irregular to you? It's more common to find examples grouped into four. Why might an artist choose to work with a different hypermetric grouping? Discuss how these different types of groupings change the way you perceive the music and/or interpret the lyrics. How is hypermeter used as an expressive compositional tool?
Hypermeter & Performance: How might an understanding of hypermeter be useful to a performer? For example, a jazz musician. Can you think of any creative ways that a jazz performer might use hypermeter in an improvised solo?
Activities
Activities
Changing Hypermeter: Work through the "Changing Hypermeter" examples in the anthology (see link below). In each example, one section of the song uses a different hypermeter than the others. ID the hypermeter used in each song section. Consider the discussion topic about "Hypermeter and Perception" above. How do these changes in hypermeter affect the way you hear and interpret these songs? How does hypermeter contribute to the overall structure of a work, provide contrast, tension, stability (or instability)?
Harry Burleigh's "Among the Fuchsias": Consider how Burleigh disrupts the hypermeter in this song as an expressive compositional tool. The score, lyrics, and audio are provided in the anthology (link below).
Analyze the poetic structure and rhyme scheme of the poem. How are the stanzas group? Do you notice anything irregular? What do you think this poem is about? What are the primary themes?
Listen to Burleigh's setting of the song, paying attention to hypermetric grouping and how the music aligns with the text. Where is the hypermeter disrupted?
How does Burleigh's setting of the poem differ between the two verses? How is hypermetric disruption connected to the themes highlighted in the poem?
The Songs of Josephine Lang: Lang's songs "Mignons Klage" and "Nur den Abschied schnell genommen" are both excellent examples of hypermetric irregularity where our aural perception doesn't always match the way the music is organized into bars in the score. The scores and audio files for both songs are included in the anthology. Work through an analysis of either or both songs together as a class.
Composing Changes in Hypermeter: Select a melody from a well-known song (or one from the sight-singing anthology). Work in groups to recompose the melody, using a different hypermetric structure.
Repertoire for Practice
Repertoire for Practice
Hypermeter in Repertoire: This section of the anthology includes examples for hypermeter ID, examples that include changing hypermeter, and examples of hypermetric discussion for classroom discussion and activities.
Want to learn more?
Want to learn more?
Check out one of these articles:
Salley, Keith, and Daniel T. Shanahan. "Phrase rhythm in standard jazz repertoire: A taxonomy and corpus study." Journal of Jazz Studies 11, no. 1 (2016): 1-39.
Krebs, Harald. "Hypermeter and Hypermetric Irregularity in the Songs of Josephine Lang." Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis (2005): 13–29.
Rodgers, Stephen. "Thinking (and singing) in Threes: Triple Hypermeter and the songs of Fanny Hensel." Music Theory Online 17, no. 1 (2011).
Attas, Robin. "Sarah setting the terms: defining phrase in popular music." Music Theory Online 17, no. 3 (2011).
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