LESSON 4

PHRASES & MOTIVES

Ø  In music, a phrase is usually referred to as a musical sentence. The structure of a musical sentence derives from various parts coming together to form a phrase structure. Phrases can usually be eight measures or sometimes as long as 16 or as short as 4 or 2 measures long.

This is an example of a Musical Phrase Structure

https://1g9v9u38ad6lxfzmd1t5auit-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/SentenceComplete.png

 Ø  While following the pattern of arranging a  phrase, it first has a presentation followed by a continuation, and they both comprised of four measures. The two first measures of the presentation form what is called the basic idea. This basic idea forms another two bars, which are repetition, and it leads into the continuation, sometimes made up of fragmented motives from the presentation. These fragmented motives can help to create a motion leaning to the cadence.

 

Ø  Both of the basic ideas can either be identical in harmony or different in pitch due to transposition.

This image shows the basic idea transposed down a second In the repetition of the second basic idea.

http://www.musicarta.com/images/FV_1.jpg

  Ø  These fragmented motives are little short pieces use in the presentation, identified by their rhythm and pitch. There are many ways these can be varied, and some are augmentation, diminution, rhythmic transformation, embellishment, and many others.

 In this image, you can view examples of how fragments are used in the continuation that leads to the cadence.

https://music.ku.edu/sites/music.ku.edu/files/docs/MTMC/GradThDiagExam/mozart_sent1_key.jpg

This image shows the augmentation and diminution of a motive

http://shanahdt.github.io/MUSI4331/_images/augdim.png

 Ø  Using two phrases together can form what is called a period. A period has two parts, which are called the antecedent and the consequent. The antecedent ends with a half cadence, while the consequent ends with a perfect authentic cadence. Both phrases have a similar beginning.    

 This image shows how the Antecedent and the Consequent form a Period

https://www.artofcomposing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/PeriodComplete.png

This is a portion of the arrangement trumpet concerto (Jeroen Berwaerts, Trumpet) II – III by Oskar Bohme

In this melody, the motive begins in the first bar after the rest for the trumpet, and in the 2^nd and 3^rd bar it is used as a retrograde. In the 4^th and 5^th bar of the trumpet solo, it shows up as a sequence in the two quavers notes on the last beat. In bar 6, instead of a dotted crotchet and quaver, it forms two sets of triplets using an embellishment off neighboring notes between it.

https://youtu.be/y4oI6QkfcK8?list=RDy4oI6QkfcK8

In this video, I am performing the melody above Trumpet Concerto

 

This video expresses:

Ø  Some of the musical forms such as motives and phrases

Ø  Different types of motives

Ø  Defining phrase

Ø  Defining motive

Ø  Listening and viewing examples of various phrases and cadences

This video expresses:

Ø  The importance of developing motives using variations

Ø  The two basic types of variations

Ø  Augmentation

Ø  Diminution

Ø  Rhythmic motive transformation

Ø  Metric displacement

Ø  Changing time signatures

Ø  Accentuation

Ø  Sequencing

Ø  Melodic inversion

Ø  Retrograde

Ø  Fragmentation

Ø  Embellishment

Ø  Reduction

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