Phrasing & Expression

What is musical expression?

Musical expression is like good acting. The notes on the page are a beginning, but they will never be more than that without a performer’s sensitivity. This involves dynamics, phrasing, voicing, pacing, and above all the skill to make music a human expression.

What are core elements and techniques of musical expression?

The core elements and techniques of music expression include dynamics, phrasing, voicing, and pacing.

Dynamics

This is a musical term for loudness, and it is an essential tool for creating variety in any performance. Playing a piece at the same dynamic level–with all the notes at equal volume–would be like speaking in a robotic, monotone voice. Changing volume gives variety and dramatic extremes to your playing, and it plays a part in many other aspects of musical expression. 

Phrasing

A phrase is like a musical sentence, and should provide flow and cadence. When we speak, we usually aim for a single word in each sentence, and the build-up makes the sentence come alive. The same is true for musical phrases. Listen to the audio sample for Duvernoy’s Song Without Words. Notice the crescendo sign leading up to the downbeat of measure 2, and the decrescendo leading away. By building up to the high G, the performer aims for the middle of the two-measure phrase, and then fades away. This makes the melody “breathe,” and gives it living energy and interest. So phrasing is a way to shape melodies with dynamics, and makes a performance far more expressive.

Voicing

Not all parts of musical texture are treated equally. In Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, you’ll hear three levels of sound: melody, accompaniment, and bass line. Each of these voices has a different function. The melody, or tune, needs to be front and center, while the accompaniment and bass line support the melody and provide harmony. The melody should be louder than the other voices to avoid being drowned out. This preferential dynamic treatment is called voicing, and it keeps all parts of the texture clean and distinct. 

Pacing

In the same way that a good story saves a surprise or outcome for the right moment, a good performance will have a sense of narrative. Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag shows a careful pacing of dynamics to create the most excitement. Measure 7 starts piano and has a crescendo through the next measure. But suddenly, in measure 9, the rug is pulled out from under us with another piano mark. We build again and reach mezzo-forte in measure 10, having arrived with an exciting surprise along the way. Measures 13 and 14 have the same music, but this time it builds to forte, saving the loudest for last. By thinking broadly and using all these dynamics, we pace the music and avoid giving away too much too soon. 

What is an example of musical expression?

If we listened to a software-generated playback of Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2, we would hear the same dynamic level and tempo throughout. Every note is correct, every rhythm accurate, and the recording even uses digital sampling of real piano sound. But none of this improves the dull, lifeless interpretation. There is no variety of dynamic level, and the voices are smeared together with no distinction between melody, chords, and bass line. The tunefulness is also lost with no phrase shaping. You’ve heard nothing more than notes, and reading Shakespeare like dictation would be no less expressive.

Now listen to Arthur Rubenstein’s performance in a live recording. The difference is truly profound. All of the expressive techniques mentioned above are in play. The voices–melody, accompaniment, and bass–are all in an ideal balance, with the melody in the foreground. A sense of lyricism is maintained by shaping the phrases with great dynamic sensitivity. And finally, a careful use of rubato, or tempo fluctuation, brings pacing and narrative to the melody.

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