Elision
The close of one phrase also begins the next, so the boundary overlaps
Related
Elision occurs when one phrase's close also begins the next: the cadential chord ends the old and launches the new, so the two meet at one point and the boundary vanishes. The first has barely landed before the second is under way, and the music is pushed forward.
It is common in Classical and Romantic music, especially where momentum must continue: one phrase's closing note becomes the next phrase's start, shared by bass or melody. It is the opposite of neatly separated phrasing, where every phrase gets its own close and breath.
Elision does not remove the boundary; it overlaps it. Still mark the first phrase's cadence and the second phrase's beginning, then ask whether they fall on the same beat and note. A phrase that merely follows closely, sharing nothing, is a tight link, not an elision.
Sources
- 叠接的定义、句界共用与在乐句结构中的用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Elision"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.