Long-form Non-isochrony and Implicit Music Theory: Cyclicity and Entrainment in Colombian Cantos de Boga

This article builds on the theory of long-form non-isochronous meters, or meters that contain an irregular metric level immediately slower than the beat. Martin Clayton, who coined the term, argues that prior music-theoretical knowledge is a sufficient condition for entraining to irregular measures within cycles that last longer than the upper limit for metric perception. Through an analysis of Pacific-Colombian canto de boga performance practice, I argue that melodic cyclicity similarly allows listeners to entrain to these long-form non-isochronous meters, therefore expanding Clayton's theory to include styles with flexible meters that are not as explicitly theorized by their musicians.