A “phrase” in music is essentially a group of notes that has a complete musical sense of its own. To relate this to language, think of it as a complete thought, as expressed in a sentence of words. In the same way that we consider a sentence, musicians consider the phrase.
The musician analyzes the musical phrase, beginning with the musical grouping, then the subphrase, then the phrase, and finally the performance phrase. A musical grouping is a collection of notes in their most basic and irreducible combination, which, as a unit, still has musical value. A subphrase is longer and consists of some musical groupings. A phrase is even longer and consists of a few sub-phrases and, as its own, conveys a full musical meaning. A performance phrase is simply a longer, more elaborate phrase. Several phrases and / or interpretive phrases included in the section of a musical piece.
To make the analogy with language again, this categorization is similar to the concept of having words, sentences, and paragraphs. Let us consider the notes as comparable to the letters, the most basic elements, and consider the sections as comparable to the paragraphs. Of course, music and language are two different worlds, so this is just an analogy. Language is a means of communication like music is. Music, however, is a much more refined and superior level of communication. However, the use of notes and phrases is the way that musicians can understand the compositions of others, in the same way that we use words and grammar to understand the verbal or written thoughts of others.
Here’s a wonderful basic exercise you can do, whether you’re a musician or not, to really understand phrasing in music. Take a recording of a familiar song or piece and analyze its phrases, which are made up of lines of four to twelve bars. Place your arm in a place where you can make a shaking or wiping motion, extending it horizontally outward. While listening to the phrase, slowly move your arm in a semicircle from that position to the other side of your body. This should look exactly like you are slowly stopping a vehicle. This motion must begin as the sentence does and end when the sentence ends. Breathe in and do the same backward motion in the other direction with the following sentence. Keep doing this until the end of the piece.
Since punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons in language indicate pauses for breathing, similarly, you must breathe at the beginning of each new cycle of each sentence, as indicated by the movement of your arm. If you tried to read an entire paragraph without breathing or pausing, you’d be out of breath relatively soon. So just as a reader reads naturally, taking appropriate pauses and breaths when necessary, a musician should do the same. However, since playing music requires much more energy than speaking or reading, this exercise, for a musician, should be done more emphatically. And the results will be a much more refined and articulate performance.
This is all part of a philosophy known as “movement education” or “body in performance,” developed by Dr. Alexandra Pierce, professor emeritus at the University of Redlands, with whom I studied. Movement education embodies the various aspects of music (such as phrasing) in a physical and kinetic form away from the instrument. The results are a much more meaningful performance, as music becomes much more sensational, utilizing one’s entire existence and not just one sense, the ear.