Computational Models of Rhythm and Meter presents several mathematical models and algorithms for the analysis and generation of musical rhythms and forms that range from the smallest patterns up to an entire musical piece. It is accompanied by an open source code project called chunking. Chunking implements most of the algorithms that are presented in this book. Music without rhythm is unthinkable. Music, like Theatre and Dance, needs time to perform. Rhythm is a universal principle. A large number of cycles and rhythmic patterns occur naturally within our own bodies and in the universe around us. Since all languages have their rhythms, music is often regarded as a language, a "rhythmic language of sound" (Giger, Die Kunst des Rhythmus : Professionelles Know How in Theorie und Praxis, Mainz London New York: Schott, (1993)), although isolated musical sounds do not carry semantic meaning in the same way than words or sentences do in a language.