7d Examples - The Phrase, Sub-phrase, and Motive

Now that you have a basic understanding of harmonic progressions, harmonic function, labeling function with Roman numerals, and cadences, you can combine these ideas to explore musical phrases.

• After listening to Mozart’s An Die Freude multiple times (found below), mark the beginning and ending of each phrase based on your listening.
  • Remember that each phrase should sound like a complete musical idea with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Once you have established these, label the last two chords of each phrase using Roman numerals and inversion figures.
• Do each of your phrase endings fit one of the cadences discussed in Unit 7c? If so, label the cadence below the Roman numerals.
• Identify at least one motive and describe what are defining characteristics of the motive. Rhythm? Specific intervals? Repeated progressions?
• Find multiple iterations of your motive. How does Mozart transform it throughout the piece?
• Once you have completed each of these steps, discuss what you think defines a phrase. What are the essential components?

Because this piece only has two voices, many chords will have more than one option for a harmony, so you must use the harmonic flowchart from the beginning of this chapter to choose the most likely harmony based on function. For example, if a harmony only has mi and sol, this could be either a I chord or a iii chord. If you put it into context, however, it will become clear what harmony the listener is likely to hear. If the harmony with mi and sol is preceded by fa and sol, it is highly unlikely that this is a iii chord. fa and sol outline a V⁷ harmony, and a V chord will not resolve to a iii chord. Instead the listener will hear this as a V chord resolving to a I chord – albeit an unstable I chord.

Also note that this piece has multiple modulations that I have marked into the score. We will cover modulations in a later unit, but for now, make sure to analyze each phrase ending in the correct key. If you do not, your cadences will not make sense.