Thursday, April 28, 2011

Phrase Analysis

Where do the phrases fall?

Are there short phrases within longer phrases?

How can this knowledge help a conductor?

These questions are extremely important for conductors to think through. Analyzing the phrases within a piece of music informs a conductor's gestures. It helps the conductor know what to build toward. It helps the conductor understand the movement of the piece and make distinctions about what to bring out in the ensemble.

Looking again at Johannes Brahmes "Lass dich nur nichts nicht dauren" to understanding specific phrasing we will see how a composer's interpretation can bring a piece of music to life.

I added in numerical phrase analysis throughout this piece under each stanza. Through this type of phrase analysis, the conductor is able to convey the rise and fall of the line in the different voices. She gives cues for lifts and breaths according to the phrasing.




















































































































The phrase analysis of a piece of music is personal to each conductor. Without putting thought into actually analyzing the phrases a conductor might never find what works best for him.

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