replies that will ordinarily be given to such a question will probably astonish the director of the church choir; and although he will sometimes be inclined to put the blame on the ears and minds of the congregation, there is no doubt that in very many cases the difficulty may be traced to poor enunciation and faulty phrasing on the part of the singers. The following examples are reported to be authentic instances of phrasing by church choirs:
Jesus lives no longer now,
Can thy terrors, Death, appall us?
The poet had quite a different thought in mind when he penned these words, with the correct punctuation marks:
Jesus lives! no longer now
Can thy terrors, Death, appall us!
The wild winds hushed the angry deep,
Sank like a little child to sleep.
What this verse means is, of course, easily seen by inserting the correct punctuation marks:
The wild winds hushed; the angry deep
Sank like a little child to sleep.
PHRASING IN INSTRUMENTAL MUSICIn instrumental music we have no definite ideas and no concrete imagery to guide us; and the conductor, in company with all other students of instrumental music, will find it necessary to study his score most carefully if he is to unravel the threads that are woven together in such complex fashion in orchestral music. As implied above, phrasing in instrumental music means:
- The grouping together of tones that belong to the same musical thought, this implying a slight break in continuity between phrases, as in language.
- Making evident the musical significance of the group by accenting or prolonging its most important tones.
