To Breathe or Not to Breathe: When Analysis Meets Interpretation
by Timothy Hagen, DMA
As an educator, one of my jobs is to help students gain an understanding of music that enriches their artistic selves beyond fundamental note-learning. I therefore strive to show how analysis can help us make decisions that enhance performance.
This workshop focuses on a single analytical concept: the musical sentence, an extremely common phrase type that is frequently neglected in the education of musicians. Why is the sentence so important? Because it is ubiquitous in music from the classical period onward, and once we can recognize it, we can make logical interpretive decisions (such as where to breathe, whether to take a bit of time or speed up, whether to make a color or dynamic shift, etc.) based on its structure. Moreover, though it does have key harmonic components, its melodic formula makes it easy to recognize, even for musicians who struggle with traditional, Roman-numeral analysis.
As shown in the diagram below, based on the work of theorist William Caplin, typical musical sentences are eight measures long, comprising two main parts. In the presentation phase, a two-measure basic idea is stated twice, and tonic harmony is maintained (though it can be interrupted by neighbor harmonies).
Sentence Structure Diagram
The continuation phase brings a sort of mini-development of the basic idea and can feature any or all of the following:
· Fragmentation: Only small parts of the basic idea are heard.
· Diminution: The basic idea is heard but in rhythmic values that are half as long as those in the original.
· Liquidation: The basic idea is chopped down and chopped down until it disappears altogether.
Continuation also features significant movement in the harmonic rhythm, leading to a cadence that can be either open (i.e., half cadence or imperfect authentic cadence) or closed (perfect authentic cadence).
A truly textbook example of sentence structure comes from Beethoven’s own first piano sonata, Op. 2, No. 1, seen below as annotated by Caplin in his book Classical Form. A presentation featuring a two-bar basic idea, first stated in the right hand in mm. 1-2, is sequenced in mm. 3-4. Tonic and neighbor harmonies are maintained throughout. Continuation (mm. 5-8) features fragmentation and liquidation of the basic idea over acceleration of harmonic rhythm, ending in a half cadence at m. 8.
Many performers employ an accelerando in mm. 5-6 and a ritardando in mm. 7-8 to highlight the peak of the phrase on the downbeat of m. 7, which Beethoven has indicated through his control of harmony, dynamics, fragmentation, and liquidation, all of which are directly tied to the structure itself. In other words, by recognizing this common structure, interpretive decision-making becomes clearer and more logical, as we can observe in a number of important passages from the flute repertoire, such as the examples below.
Rossini: Overture to La Gazza Ladra, mm. 188-195 (Piccolo)
The presentation here starts with the basic idea (mm. 188-189), which is clearly repeated (mm. 190-191). Rossini even includes an eighth rest at the end of each statement, which lends credence to an interpretation that would treat the second statement as a second, short melodic line rather than an extension of the first statement. The continuation, beginning in m. 192, is marked by fragmentation of the basic idea (Rossini gets stuck on the triplet) as well as sequencing upward, resulting in uninterrupted, forward motion. Treating each basic idea from the presentation as its own brief line will allow this longer line to sound distinct and more exciting.
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade, II., Reh. D-F (Flute 2)
Unlike Rossini, Rimsky-Korsakov in this example allows for no space between the presentation’s two basic ideas, the first starting on the fifth eighth note of the bar before D and the second in the same position two bars later. The continuation starts on the fifth eighth note of the fourth bar of E and is characterized by a sequence-like melody, which reflects the fact that the rate of harmonic change is accelerating. In short, despite the lack of space between the two basic ideas, this breaks down just as the Rossini example did. By treating each basic idea as a separate line, the feeling of forward motion in the continuation is heightened. In terms of performative decisions, this interpretation allows for breathing after each basic idea as well as in the middle of the continuation (three bars before F, between the fourth and fifth eighth notes). This last breath, if taken, must be carefully handled so as not to disturb the sense of continuity in the music. In other words, the performer should make intelligent decisions regarding vibrato, dynamic contour, and tone color in order to highlight the sense of forward motion here, and wherever he/she leaves off before the breath, the sound must pick up in the same place afterward. This is how great players are able to give the illusion of continuity, even in the presence of many intelligently planned breaths.
The above are but two, clear examples of musical sentences in the flute repertoire. There are many more, both clear and unclear, and by keeping an eye out for the fundamental patterns of presentation and continuation, you can quickly learn to spot them and use them to make intelligent musical decisions.