Phrasing is simply musical punctuation. In singing, it may be separated, like accent, into two divisions: Musical and Poetic, or Verbal, phrasing. If the following passage were performed by an instrument, it would not require any particular grouping or phrasing:
But when sung, it would fail in effect if not performed with a very slight pause after the word "nobis," thus:
As another illustration of the excellent effect of correct phrasing may be cited the song _Psyché_, by Paladilhe. Its effect is heightened if the musical phrasing be judiciously combined with a change in Colour and Intensity:
[Music: Quand il les flatte, j'en murmure!]
[Music: Quand il les flatte, j'en murmure!]
It is the clashing of the Musical and Verbal phrasings that often makes translations of lyric works unsatisfactory. The two phrases are independent, not welded together. So far from being "Music wedded to immortal Verse," these instances resemble those _ménages_ wherein each unit leads a separate existence. When this is the case, the singer must decide as to whether the musical phrase, or the poetic phrase, demands the greater prominence.
The following Phrasing and Colouring would be good and effective if the passage were played on an instrument:
But if sung thus, as it sometimes is by careless artists who pay little attention to the verbal significance of what they are singing, it would sound absurd, because the poetic phrasing is entirely ignored. The correct way of performing the passage (from the aria "Voi che sapete," in Act II of Mozart's _Nozze di Figaro_) is the following:
[Music: Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor.]
In the next extract (from Act IV in _Un Ballo in Maschera_, by Verdi), it will be noticed how oblivious the composer was of the claims of verbal phrasing. The whole _scena_ is admirably written for the voice, and contains many graceful passages of great melodic charm. But although the music may claim to represent the character of the situation as a whole, it is disfigured by the complete disregard of the sense of certain groups of words:
[Music: Come se fosse l'ultima ora del nostro amor, come se fosse l'ultima, l'ultima ora, ora del nostro amor, del nostro amor? Oh, qual presagio m'assale, come se fosse l'ultima ora del nostro amor, se fosse l'ultima del nostro amor]