Phrasing, breathing and lifting questions

[1piano4joe]

Hi all,

Doesn't breathing in piano refer to lifting the hand at the end of a phrase?

I recently read, "The short-short-long phrase structure (2+2+4 measures) is an important characteristic of music from the Classical era".

What are your thoughts on that statement?

It seems that many "16 bar binary forms" very often do just that.

Also, doesn't this "phrase structure" apply to the Baroque era as well?

What exactly does this structure imply? Does it mean to play 2 measures legato, then breathe (lift) and play the next 2 measures legato as the next phrase (lift again) and finally  finish the "A" section with one 4 measure long legato phrase?

Does this apply to both hands?

I have seen this but like everything else in piano there are many, many exceptions.

I find much Baroque and Classical repertoire that have no articulation indicated and very often when they do, it's editorial.

Then there is the statement, "Quarter notes may be played detached". Okay, well should I or shouldn't I?

In addition, I just read, "For minuets, quarter notes on beats two and three are to be played staccato, but NOT beat one however". Hmm... interesting.

Usually, I will just listen to various interpretations and see which I like best but then there is the school of thought to play "repeats with a different articulation" which I do like to do. Sometimes, when the super short binary "AB" piece is finished I play it again with 2 other articulations, maybe an octave higher or with some ornaments. I'm not very good at that though.

So, is a phrase sometimes just a legato slur of notes and other times more of a sentence with a beginning and ending that you shape? The so called "question and answer".

What does it mean to, "Take a deep breath before starting a 4 measure phrase" and contrast that with, "Take a quick breath"? Does this apply to the brief silence between phrases and to make one slightly longer than the other? Is a quick breath a shorter silence than a deep breath which would be a slightly longer silence?

What does this mean, "Each phrase must be completed in one breath"? Does this mean don't break the legato?

Lastly, what do you think of the statement, "In a Baroque piece, detach all notes unless notated otherwise"?

This seems confusing and contradictory to me.

Thank you, Joe.

[j_tour]

Does it mean to play 2 measures legato, then breathe (lift) and play the next 2 measures legato as the next phrase (lift again) and finally  finish the "A" section with one 4 measure long legato phrase?

Does this apply to both hands?

Yes.  Both hands should practice.  The documentary This Is Spinal Tap examines this practice in detail.

What does this mean, "Each phrase must be completed in one breath"? Does this mean don't break the legato?

No, it means that composers familiar with the modern piano or the organ write phrases based on the dactyl and multiples of the dactyl, therefore preserving the voice of the performer.

What one calls "common time" was actually, and still is, intended to be a triple meter based on the dactyl, and the reason people mistake it for a duple meter is that one commonly substituties a spondee for one foot of one or several instances in each phrase. 

But I was also wondering if when I read or play music in seven if I should have asked my teacher, or first play it and then see if I can try to play it.  There are a lots of differing opinions and it is not always because just the keyboard instrument makes it seem simpler.

[dw4rn]

What exactly does this structure imply? Does it mean to play 2 measures legato, then breathe (lift) and play the next 2 measures legato as the next phrase (lift again) and finally  finish the "A" section with one 4 measure long legato phrase?

No. Phrasing and legato are two different things. Take the first measures of Beethoven's First Sonata, which I suppose is an example of the 2+2+4-bar structure.

Then there is the statement, "Quarter notes may be played detached". Okay, well should I or shouldn't I?

It means you have an option. Listen for the character of the piece and choose an articulation that enables you to communicate that character.

What does it mean to, "Take a deep breath before starting a 4 measure phrase"

It should just mean: breath deeply. Hard to know though, since we don't know the context or what you are actually reading. Of course you can use the term "breathe" and refer to a silence or lift between two phrases, but it seems weird to write "deep" breath if that is what you mean.

This seems confusing and contradictory to me.

A lot of advice concerning articulation, phrasing, and performance practice is confusing and contradictory. At the end of the day, you have to rely on your musicality. Of course, you have to begin by defining a couple of basic terms, and I think things would become clearer for you if you thought of "articulation" and "phrasing" as two completely different things. Articulation (legato, staccato etc) is about the length of notes. Phrasing is about the musical syntax and structure, using notes to build sentences and statements that make sense.