What is the term for a musical sentence, often four measures long?

What is the term for a musical sentence, often four measures long?

• A. Ostinato
• B. Polytonality
• C. Phrase
• D. Piano

Answer: (C)

A musical phrase is the basic unit of a melody, expressing a complete musical idea and typically ending with a cadence. In many melodies, this unit spans four measures, giving it a sense of closure within a longer line. That four-measure length and the feeling of a self-contained thought is why the term phrase fits as the description of a musical sentence. Ostinato would be a repeating figure or pattern, not a self-contained melodic unit. Polytonality refers to using more than one key at once, which is about harmony rather than a structural unit. Piano is simply an instrument (or the dynamic marking in a score) and not a term for a musical sentence.

A musical phrase is the basic unit of a melody, expressing a complete musical idea and typically ending with a cadence. In many melodies, this unit spans four measures, giving it a sense of closure within a longer line. That four-measure length and the feeling of a self-contained thought is why the term phrase fits as the description of a musical sentence.

Ostinato would be a repeating figure or pattern, not a self-contained melodic unit. Polytonality refers to using more than one key at once, which is about harmony rather than a structural unit. Piano is simply an instrument (or the dynamic marking in a score) and not a term for a musical sentence.