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PHRASING

Phrasing is simply musical punctuation. In singing, it may be
separated, like accent, into two divisions: Musical and Poetic, or
Verbal, phrasing. If the following passage were performed by an
instrument, it would not require any particular grouping or phrasing:

[Music]

But when sung, it would fail in effect if not performed with a very
slight pause after the word "nobis," thus:

[Music: Ave Maria

Luzzi

Ora pro nobis, Maria.]

As another illustration of the excellent effect of correct phrasing
may be cited the song _Psyche_, by Paladilhe. Its effect is heightened
if the musical phrasing be judiciously combined with a change in
Colour and Intensity:

[Music: Quand il les flatte, j'en murmure!]

(Should be sung):

[Music: Quand il les flatte, j'en murmure!]

It is the clashing of the Musical and Verbal phrasings that often
makes translations of lyric works unsatisfactory. The two phrases are
independent, not welded together. So far from being "Music wedded to
immortal Verse," these instances resemble those _menages_ wherein each
unit leads a separate existence. When this is the case, the singer
must decide as to whether the musical phrase, or the poetic phrase,
demands the greater prominence.

The following Phrasing and Colouring would be good and effective if
the passage were played on an instrument:

[Music]

But if sung thus, as it sometimes is by careless artists who pay
little attention to the verbal significance of what they are singing,
it would sound absurd, because the poetic phrasing is entirely
ignored. The correct way of performing the passage (from the aria "Voi
che sapete," in Act II of Mozart's _Nozze di Figaro_) is the
following:

[Music: Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor.]

In the next extract (from Act IV in _Un Ballo in Maschera_, by Verdi),
it will be noticed how oblivious the composer was of the claims of
verbal phrasing. The whole _scena_ is admirably written for the
voice, and contains many graceful passages of great melodic charm. But
although the music may claim to represent the character of the
situation as a whole, it is disfigured by the complete disregard of
the sense of certain groups of words:

[Music: Come se fosse l'ultima ora del nostro amor, come se fosse
l'ultima, l'ultima ora, ora del nostro amor, del nostro amor? Oh, qual
presagio m'assale, come se fosse l'ultima ora del nostro amor, se
fosse l'ultima del nostro amor]

T