What this verse means is, of course, easily seen by inserting the correct punctuation marks:
The wild winds hushed; the angry deep
Sank like a little child to sleep.
PHRASING IN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
In instrumental music we have no definite ideas and no concrete imagery to guide us; and the conductor, in company with all other students of instrumental music, will find it necessary to study his score most carefully if he is to unravel the threads that are woven together in such complex fashion in orchestral music. As implied above, phrasing in instrumental music means:
1. The grouping together of tones that belong to the same musical thought, this implying a slight break in continuity between phrases, as in language.
2. Making evident the musical significance of the group by accenting or prolonging its most important tones.
These are only general principles, however, and the details of phrasing in instrumental music cannot be treated adequately in writing because of their too great complexity. It is only through practice, reinforced by the intelligent criticism of a real musician, that skill and taste in the art of phrasing can be acquired. A few concrete suggestions are offered, and these may be of some slight help to the amateur, but they are not to be thought of as "a complete guide."
1. The first tone of the phrase is often stressed slightly in order to mark the beginning of the new idea.
2. The final tone (particularly of the short phrase) is commonly shortened in order to make clear the separation between phrases.