Syncopation is notoriously hard to define, and is sometimes understood as a rhythmic property, sometimes as a rhythmic transformation. This chapter disambiguates many forms of syncopation—contrapuntal syncopation, tonal syncopation, structural syncopation, and metrical and rhythmic dissonance. These are united by a common source in some type of displacement. Extended analysis of Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, first movement, and a related C.P.E. Bach symphony, illustrates the use of rhythmic dissonance and interactions between syncopation and counterpoint. Further examples demonstrate the possibility of syncopation at hypermetrical levels, concluding with two extended analyses of hypermetric syncopation in Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony Scherzo and op. 95 String Quartet where rhythmic irregularities play crucial roles in the formal narrative.
What is Rhythmic Dissonance?
