Does it have anything to with the actual versus the expected accenting of certain beats within a measure or measures.
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2 Answers
The term is used to described various kinds of "Three against two" cross rhythms.
Older European music of Renaissance times used it as a device in melodies in 3-time such as minuets, often before a cadence or break in the melody : where the melody would have had a rhythm like 1-2-3, 1-2-3, the hemiola is to have a figure where the rhythm is 1-2 1-2 1-2 giving a 2-beat rather than 3-beat feel. The hemiola may be implied by the phrasing or direction of the melody.
Other examples of hemiola can be found in other musical traditions, both older and modern, for example Leonard Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story.
Polyrhythmic music from Africa, where the 3 beats and 2 beats play against each other West African Music understanding traditional polyrhythms (6/8 meter against 3/4) Rhythm Tutorial 9
See also this similar question and good answer from another forum to a question about the specifics of hemiola : just-how-specific-is-the-term-hemiola
Other examples : "... will be revealed..." words in "And the Glory of the Lord" from Messiah.
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You could also see it as a single bar (with three beats, or two compound beats) stretched out to fill the space of two bars.– giddsCommented Aug 5 at 10:52
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This has some rennaissance examples, but not a minuet as such : youtube.com/watch?v=fgJDrNjQyfI&t=109s– AngstCommented Aug 14 at 12:29
Per its Wikipedia page:
In music, hemiola (also hemiolia) is the ratio 3:2. The equivalent Latin term is sesquialtera. In rhythm, hemiola refers to three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats. In pitch, hemiola refers to the interval of a perfect fifth.
