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Section 13.6 Phrase Groups and Phase Chains

Phrase groups and phrase chains are not periods. In phrase groups and phrase chains, the final cadence is a half cadence. A phrase group consists of at least two phrases whose melodies begin similarly and has the final phrase ending in a half cadence. The terminology in this section draws from Douglass Green’s Form in Tonal Music.

Figure 13.6.1 Couperin, 5 Pièces de Clavecin, 4. Le Petit–Rien (Ordre XIV, 8)

A phrase chain also ends in a half cadence and consists of at least two phrases with contrasting melodies.

Figure 13.6.2 Beethoven, Sonatina in F, Anh. 5 No. 2, II. Rondo