Sentence structure, phrase and phrasing

Just as in language, music works with the concepts phrase and sentence. A musical sentence is also called a phrase. A phrase is a musical sentence of not too great length. (Longer than a motif, shorter than a complete sentence (or period). A rule of thumb for phrasing in music is related to the locations/moments where you are musically "breathing".

In performance practice phrasing is about the way the phrases are made clear for the listener while playing.

In the construction of melodies or themes the terms Satz and Periode (german) and Sentence and Period are important. 

A nowadays often used layout is presented by William Caplin (Classical Form - A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven).

In this book he discusses:

  • Sentence
  • Period
  • Hybrid Themes and Compound Themes
  • Small Ternary
  • Small Binary

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