Graphing Deep Hypermeter in the Scherzo Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Abstract

This paper reinterprets my 1992 analysis of the scherzo of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony using more recently introduced modes of representation: ski-hill graphs, ski-path networks, and metric cubes. It provides a tutorial on the three metric modes of representation, while using those modes to reveal different aspects of the scherzo’s metric form. It presents evidence in support of the proposition that slow pulses and deep hypermeter can “exist,” be aesthetically relevant, and have analytical value.