PHRASING. The proper rendering of musi cal phrases. (See PilltasE.) A musical com position is analogous to a literary one, the sen tences being replaced by phrases: upon their cor rect interpretation depends the intelligible pre sentation of the whole piece. One of the most im portant elements of phrasing is accent. (q.v.), the general principles of which will be found under RHYTHM ; but in no case must an accent be so in upon as to break the unity of the musical phrase. On the contrary, the ordinary accent is often postponed or anticipated in order to em phasize the general effect of the phrase. For the same reason, especially in rapid passages, accents are often added; while in quick move ments accents are sometimes omitted so as to give an impression of unity to a number of separate bars. Two common faults in phrasing are breaking up a group of notes which together form a musical sentence, and running together two distinct sentences. In instrumental work, especially, there is a tendency to make a break at the end of a bar; but in reality a sentence always ends on the accented division of a ha'.
the bar-stroke having absolutely no relation to phrasing. In vocal music the musical accents correspond with those of the text, and the phrases are, as a rule, dependent upon the lines or word sentences. Vocal phrasing, therefore, is obvious ly much simpler than instrumental. The signs most commonly used to indicate phrasing are the dash: the curved line, denoting legato; and the slur; but the interpretation of any composition is to a great extent a matter of personal apprecia tion and discrimination. For sonic helpful gestions on the subject. consult: Ehrenfeeliter, neiireny in, the Art Pianoforte Playing (Lon don, 181)7)t Goodrich, Theory of interpretation ( Philadelphia, 1899) ; Lussy, Trait( de respres sion musioate (6th ed., Paris, 18921.