cance of the group by
accenting or prolonging its most important tones.

These are only general principles, however, and the details of
phrasing in instrumental music cannot be treated adequately in writing
because of their too great complexity. It is only through practice,
reinforced by the intelligent criticism of a real musician, that skill
and taste in the art of phrasing can be acquired. A few concrete
suggestions are offered, and these may be of some slight help to the
amateur, but they are not to be thought of as "a complete guide."

1. The first tone of the phrase is often stressed slightly
in order to mark the beginning of the new idea.

2. The final tone (particularly of the short phrase) is
commonly shortened in order to make clear the separation
between phrases.

3. The climacteric tone of the phrase is often prolonged
slightly as well as accented, in order to make its
relationship to the other tones stand out clearly.

[Sidenote: RHYTHM]

Closely connected with phrasing is rhythm, and although the rhythmic
factor should perhaps theoretically belong wholly to the composer,
since he is able to express his rhythmic ideas in definite notation,
yet in actual practice this does not prove to be the case because the
amateur player or singer so often finds that "time is hard"; and there
are consequently many occasions when the rhythm indicated by the
composer is wholly distorted, either because the performers are weak
in their rhythmic feeling or because the conductor is careless and
does not see to it that the rhythmic response of his chorus or
orchestra is accurate and incisive and yet elastic.

Rhythm is the oldest of the musical elements and there is no question
but that the rhythmic appeal is still the strongest of all for the
majority of people. Rhythm is the spark of life in music, therefore,
woe to the composer who attempts to substitute ethereal harmonies for
virile rhythms as a general principle of musical construction. Mere
tones, even though beautiful both in themselves and through effective
combination, are meaningless, and it is only through rhythm that they
become vitalized. In order to have interesting performances of choral
and orchestral music the conductor must see to it that the performers
play or sing all rhythmic figures correctly, that long tones are
sustained for their correct duration, and that in general the musical
performance be permea