Imbroglio
Rhythmically confusing texture in which the stresses of several parts are shifted so that the metre seems unclear.
What it means
Imbroglio, Italian for “confusion” or “muddle,” denotes a rhythmically confusing texture. Several parts place their stresses shifted against each other so that the underlying metre becomes temporarily unclear or ambiguous to listeners.
Musical use
The imbroglio usually arises by syncopating individual parts or making them seem to stand in a different metre, while the actual bar continues unchanged. It creates an impression of chaos, excitement, or comic confusion and is therefore gladly used in operas for turbulent ensemble scenes, for instance in finales of bel canto and comic opera, where characters talk or act at cross purposes.
The imbroglio should be distinguished from the hemiola, an orderly, predictable regrouping from three to two units, and from polyrhythm, in which two clearly separate rhythms deliberately sound at once. The imbroglio, by contrast, aims precisely at an impression of disorder.
Performance practice
When listening to an imbroglio, first follow the continuous basic beat in one part, such as the bass or orchestra, before letting the shifted stresses of the other parts confuse you. As a performer, count your own part disciplined, without being thrown off by the conflicting accents of the other parts.