ABSTRACT
This paper is concerned with the computer modelling of phrase grouping: that is, with analytical operations that are analogous to (but not necessarily the same as) the human perceptual processes and preferences that result in the grouping together of notes into phrases. The computer program discussed below does not deal with every aspect of phrase grouping, but merely identifies durational phrases in a single-line rhythm, in accordance with a simple grouping algorithm and various pre-defined “Closure Rules”. The wider purpose of the paper is to set these durational grouping mechanisms within the context of a more general theory of rhythmic structure and its perception (Fraser, 1982), of which they form the first stage, and to illustrate some aspects of the relationship between durational phrases and other characteristics which influence phrase grouping in general.
