Phrase
What Phrase means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Phrase
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Phrase in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A component used by composers to construct melodies, described using terminology such as antecedent and consequent phrases.
A distinct musical thought concluding with a cadence.
Topics that use Phrase
- Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910 (compulsory) - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Antecedent phrase
- Antiphonal texture
- Aria
- Articulation
- Balanced phrases
- Bass suspension
- Basso continuo
- Binary form
Using Phrase in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Music questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge