ABSTRACT
In the following three chapters we will examine the phrase and the period in some detail and, in some cases, from diverse though compatible points of view. The purpose of these chapters is not to present an exhaustive catalogue of phrase types or of phrases in combination, but to explore some principles that are fundamental to Schenker’s thinking. We will begin in this chapter with the individual phrase and the combination of two phrases in the antecedent-consequent relationship. Chapter 3 will deal with aspects of phrase rhythm and phrase expansion, and Chapter 4 will round out this study with a consideration of the combination of contrasting phrases to form larger closed units. This extended exercise will prepare us well to deal with short compositions in ternary (rounded binary) form in Chapter 5, which rounds out Part I.
