Antecedent and consequent phrases

Open the interactive module

Form and flow

In a period, an antecedent can sound comparatively open while a consequent provides a stronger close. Cadence strength and thematic relationships matter more than simply counting an equal number of notes.

Try a shared opening with different endings. Leave the first phrase open near the dominant and give the second a stronger tonic close. Not every eight-bar passage is a period; listen to the relationship of the cadences.

Example

Four bars of question and four of answer is a useful exercise, not a universal rule.

Try it

Which ending can you change to strengthen the sense of an answer?

Related topics

References

Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom

Subject-expert review pending.