< A Dictionary of Music and Musicians

​PERIOD. A Period is one of the divisions which characterise the form of musical works, especially in such as are not very elastic in construction, as Tunes and Airs; and, frequently, the main subjects of large works in their simple exposition. It is common to find in these a first division ending with a half close followed by one ending with a full close, as in this example from Beethoven's Sonata, op. 109:—

{ \new PianoStaff << \time 6/8 \override Score.Rest #'style = #'classical \new Staff { \key g \major \relative g' { g4.\( ~ g8 e b'\) | b4.\( ~ b8 g e'\) << { e4\( fis8 g4 fis8\) | e4.( dis4) r8 } \\ { r4 r8 c4. | fis,2. } >> | c'4.\( ~ c8 a e'\) | e4.\( ~ e8 b b'\) | << { b\( c a g fis b\) } \\ { e,4. dis } >> e4 r8 r4 r8 \bar "||" } } \new Staff { \clef bass \key g \major \relative e { <e e,>2. <d d,> <c c,>4. <a a,> | <b b,>2. <a a,> <g g,> | <fis fis,>4. <b b,> | <e e,>4 r8 r4 r8 } } >> }
These together are held to constitute a period, and the lesser divisions are phrases. A complete tune is often composed of two or three such periods, and such examples may be taken as types: but in fact periods must be exceedingly variable in structure. Sometimes the subdivisions into lesser members may be difficult to realise, and in others they may be subdivisible into a greater number of members of varying dimensions. A period is defined by some writers as a complete musical sentence, and this gives sufficiently well the clue to identify wherever it is desirable to do so.
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