Hi all,
Click here to download a marked-up PDF with the hypermeter in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Movement 3. I strongly recommend that you transfer the hypermeter markings to your individual parts, especially around tricky entrances of solos.
Below is a good definition of “hypermeter” if needed.
Hypermeter is a perceived, metric organization higher than the regular meter (3/4, 6/8, etc.). Typically, each regular measure represents one “hyperbeat” in a “hypermeasure.” Quadruple is the most common hypermeter. In quadruple hypermeter, four regular measures combine to create one hypermeasure, but duple (two measures = one hypermeasure) is also common, and triple (three measures = one hypermeasure) is less common. Hypermeasures are typically perceived due to changes and/or repetitions that take place during that span of time. For example, if a passage contains a four-measure phrase and its immediate repetition, the passage can be heard as two, four-measure hypermeasures. Similarly, a four-measure phrase followed by a distinctly contrasting four-measure phrase can produce the same result. Like regular meter, hypermeter tends to be mostly the same throughout a work, but irregular lengths can occur (typically due to phrase expansion techniques). Some pieces may not have a perceivable hypermeter. More here.
Best,
Dr. G.
