phrase (music)

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In music, one of the most basic structural units of melody. It consists of a group of notes that give the impression of belonging together. There is no fixed length for a phrase, but the most usual is four bars. In the 19th century, some composers, such as Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Wagner, also favoured much longer phrases, with composers such as Hadyn and Mozart using 11- and 13- bar phrases in order to upset the formal balance. The notes to be included in a phrase are usually indicated by a slur (a curved line drawn above or below the notes) and are performed legato (smoothly and continuously) unless otherwise directed.

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