InWesternmusical theory, acadence (from Latin cadentia 'a falling') is the end of aphrase in which themelody orharmony creates a sense of full or partialresolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.[2] A harmonic cadence is aprogression of two or morechords thatconcludes a phrase,section, orpiece ofmusic.[3] A rhythmic cadence is a characteristicrhythmic pattern that indicates the end of a phrase.[4] A cadence can be labeled "weak" or "strong" depending on the impression of finality it gives.
While cadences are usually classified by specific chord ormelodic progressions, the use of such progressions does not necessarily constitute a cadence—there must be a sense of closure, as at the end of a phrase.Harmonic rhythm plays an important part in determining where a cadence occurs. The word "cadence" sometimes slightly shifts its meaning depending on the context; for example, it can be used to refer to the last few notes of a particular phrase, or to just the final chord of that phrase, or to types of chord progressions that are suitable for phrase endings in general.
Cadences are strong indicators of thetonic or central pitch of a passage or piece.[2] ThemusicologistEdward Lowinsky proposed that the cadence was the "cradle oftonality".[5]
| US usage | British usage | Spanish usage | Italian usage | French usage | German usage | Typical harmonic sequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| authentic cadence | perfect cadence | cadencia auténtica | cadenza perfetta | cadence parfaite | Ganzschluss | V → I (dominant totonic) |
| half cadence | imperfect cadence | semicadencia | cadenza sospesa | demi-cadence | Halbschluss | I, II, IV or VI → V (tonic,supertonic,subdominant orsubmediant to dominant) |
| plagal cadence | plagal cadence | cadencia plagal | cadenza plagale | cadence plagale | plagale Kadenz | IV → I (subdominant to tonic) |
| deceptive cadence | interrupted cadence | cadencia rota | cadenza d'inganno | cadence rompue | Trugschluss | V → vi (dominant to submediant) |
Cadences are divided into four main types, according to their harmonic progression:authentic (typicallyperfect authentic orimperfect authentic),half,plagal, anddeceptive. Typically, phrases end on authentic or half cadences, and the termsplagal anddeceptive refer to motion that avoids or follows a phrase-ending cadence. Each cadence can be described using theRoman numeral system of namingchords.
An authentic cadence is a cadence from thedominant chord (V) to theroot chord (I). During the dominant chord, aseventh above the dominant may be added to create adominant seventh chord (V7); the dominant chord may also be preceded by acadential6
4 chord.The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians says, "This cadence is a microcosm of the tonal system, and is the most direct means of establishing a pitch as tonic. It is virtually obligatory as the final structural cadence of a tonal work."[2] Authentic cadences are generally classified as eitherperfect orimperfect. The phraseperfect cadence is sometimes used as a synonym forauthentic cadence but can also have a more precise meaning depending on the chordvoicing.
In a perfect authentic cadence (PAC), the chords are inroot position – that is, theroots of both chords are in the bass – and thetonic is in the highest voice of the final chord. This is generally considered the strongest type of cadence and often found at structurally defining moments.[8] Music theoristWilliam Caplin writes that the perfect authentic cadence "achieves complete harmonic and melodic closure."[9]
There are three types of imperfect authentic cadences (IAC):[10]
An evaded cadence (a subtype of the inverted IAC) moves from a dominant sevenththird inversion chord (V4
2) to afirst inversion tonic chord (I6
).[11] Because the seventh of the dominant chord must fall stepwise to the third of the tonic chord, it forces the cadence to resolve to the less stable first inversion chord. To achieve this, a root position V usually changes to a V4
2 right before resolution, thereby "evading" the root-position I chord that would usually follow a root-position V. (See alsoinverted cadence below.)
A half cadence (also called animperfect cadence orsemicadence) is any cadence ending on V, whether preceded by II (V of V), ii, vi, IV, or I—or any other chord. Because it sounds incomplete or suspended, the half cadence is considered a weak cadence that calls for continuation.[12]
Several types of half cadences are described below.
A Phrygian half cadence is a half cadence iv6–V in minor, so named because the semitonal motion in the bass (sixth degree to fifth degree) resembles the half-step heard in the ii–I of the 15th-century cadence in thePhrygian mode. Due to its being a survival from modal Renaissance harmony this cadence gives an archaic sound, especially when preceded by v (v–iv6–V).[14] A characteristic gesture inBaroque music, the Phrygian cadence often concluded a slow movement immediately followed ("attacca") by a faster one.[15]
ALydian cadence is similar to the Phrygian half cadence, involving iv6–V in the minor. The difference is that in the Lydian cadence, the whole iv6 is raised by ahalf step. In other words, the Phrygian half cadence begins with the first chord built onscale degree
, while the Lydian half cadence is built on the scale degree♯.[citation needed]
Burgundian cadences became popular inBurgundian music. Note theparallelfourths between the upper voices.[16]
The rare plagal half cadence involves a I–IV progression. Like an authentic cadence (V–I), the plagal half cadence involves an ascending fourth (or, byinversion, a descending fifth).[17] The plagal half cadence is a weak cadence, ordinarily at the ending of anantecedent phrase, after which aconsequent phrase commences. One example of this use is in "Auld Lang Syne". But in one very unusual occurrence – the end of theexposition of the first movement ofBrahms'Clarinet Trio, Op. 114—it is used to complete not just a musical phrase but an entire section of a movement.[18]
A plagal cadence is a cadence from IV to I. It is also known as theAmen cadence because of its frequent setting to the text "Amen" inhymns.
William Caplin disputes the existence of plagal cadences in music of the classical era although they begin to appear in the nineteenth century:
An examination of the classical repertory reveals that such a cadence rarely exists. ... Inasmuch as the progression IV–I cannot confirm a tonality (it lacks any leading-tone resolution), it cannot articulate formal closure .... Rather, this progression is normally part of a tonic prolongation serving a variety of formal functions – not, however a cadential one. Most examples of plagal cadences given in textbooks actually represent a postcadential codetta function: that is, the IV–I progression follows an authentic cadence but does not itself create genuine cadential closure.[19]
The plagal cadence may be interpreted as I–V if the IV-I cadence is perceived as amodulation in which the IV chord becomes the I chord of the new tonic key and the I chord of the previous key is now a dominant chord in the modulated key.[12] (Cf.§Half cadence above andSecondary dominant.)
A minor plagal cadence, also known as a perfect plagal cadence, uses the minor iv instead of a major IV. With a very similar voice leading to a perfect cadence, the minor plagal cadence is a strong resolution to the tonic.
The Moravian cadence, which can be found in the works ofLeoš Janáček andBohuslav Martinů amongst others, is a form of plagal cadence in which the outer notes of the first chord each move inwards by a tone to the second. (IVadd6 → I6).[20] An early suggestion of the Moravian cadence in classical music occurs inAntonín Dvořák’sNew World Symphony.[21]
Also known as an interrupted or false cadence, the deceptive cadence is a cadence from V to any chord other than the tonic (I), usually the submediant (VI).[22] This is the most importantirregular resolution,[23] most commonly V7–vi (or V7–♭VI) in major or V7–VI in minor.[23][24] This is considered a weak cadence because of the "hanging" (suspended) feeling it invokes.
At the beginning of the final movement ofGustav Mahler's9th Symphony, the listener hears a string of many deceptive cadences progressing from V to IV6.[citation needed]
One of the most striking uses of this cadence is in the A-minor section at the end of the exposition in the first movement ofBrahms'Third Symphony. The music progresses to an implied E minor dominant (B7) with a rapid chromatic scale upwards but suddenly sidesteps to C major. The same device is used again in the recapitulation; this time the sidestep is—as one would expect—to F major, the tonic key of the whole Symphony.[citation needed]
The interrupted cadence is also frequently used in popular music. For example, thePink Floyd song "Bring the Boys Back Home" ends with such a cadence (at approximately 0:45–50).[citation needed]
An inverted cadence (also called amedial cadence)inverts the last chord. It may be restricted only to the perfect and imperfect cadence, or only to the perfect cadence, or it may apply to cadences of all types.[25] To distinguish them from this form, the other, more common forms of cadences listed above are known asradical cadences.[26]
Cadences can also be classified by their rhythmic position:
Metrically accented cadences are considered stronger and are generally of greater structural significance. In the past, the termsmasculine andfeminine were sometimes used to describe rhythmically "strong" or "weak" cadences, but these terms have not been generally used since at least the mid-1980s.[27][28]Susan McClary has written extensively on the gendered terminology of music and music theory in her bookFeminine Endings.[29]
The example below shows a metrically unaccented cadence (IV–V–I). The final chord is postponed to fall on a weak beat.[30]
APicardy third (or Picardy cadence) is a harmonic device that originated in Western music in the Renaissance era. It refers to the use of a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key. The example below shows a picardy third in the final chord, fromJ.S. Bach'sJesu, meine Freude (Jesus, My Joy), mm. 12–13.[31]
This example from a well-known 16th-century lamentation shows a cadence that appears to imply the use of anupper leading-tone, a debate over which was documented in Rome c. 1540.[32] The final three written notes in the upper voice are printed B–C–D, in which case the customarytrill on the second to last note should be played using D and C. However, convention implied that the written C should be played as a C♯ in this context, and acadential trill of awhole tone on the second to last note would then require a D♯/E♭, the upper leading-tone of D♮. Presumably, the debate was over whether to use D♯–C♯ or D–C♯ for the trill.
Medieval andRenaissance cadences are based upondyads rather than chords. The first theoretical mention of cadences comes fromGuido of Arezzo's description of theoccursus in hisMicrologus, where he uses the term to mean where the two lines of a two-partpolyphonic phrase end in aunison.
A clausula or clausula vera ("true close") is a dyadic or intervallic, rather than chordal orharmonic, cadence. In a clausula vera, two voices approach anoctave orunison throughstepwise motion[33] incontrary motion.
In three voices, the third voice often adds a falling fifth creating a cadence similar to the authentic cadence in tonal music.[33]
According toCarl Dahlhaus, "as late as the 13th century thehalf step was experienced as a problematic interval not easily understood, as the remainder between theperfect fourth and theditone:[34]
In a melodic half step, listeners of the time perceived no tendency of the lower tone toward the upper, or the upper toward the lower. The second tone was not the 'goal' of the first. Instead, musicians avoided the half step in clausulas because, to their ears, it lacked clarity as an interval. Beginning in the 13th century, cadences begin to require motion in one voice by half step and the other awhole step in contrary motion.
A plagal cadence was found occasionally as an interior cadence, with the lower voice in two-part writing moving up a perfect fifth or down a perfect fourth.[35]
Arest in one voice may also be used as a weak interior cadence.[35] The example below, Lassus'sQui vult venire post me, mm. 3–5, shows a rest in the third measure.
Incounterpoint, an evaded cadence is one where one of the voices in asuspension does not resolve as expected, and the voices together resolve to a consonance other than an octave or unison[36] (a perfect fifth, a sixth, or a third).
TheCorelli cadence, or Corelli clash, named for its association with theviolin music of theCorelli school, is a cadence characterized by amajor and/orminor second clash between thetonic and theleading-tone or the tonic andsupertonic. An example is shown below.[37]
Another "clash cadence", theEnglish cadence, is acontrapuntal pattern particular to the authentic or perfect cadence. It features theblue seventh against thedominant chord,[38] which in thekey of C would beB♭ and G–B♮–D. Popular with English composers of theHigh Renaissance andRestoration periods in the 16th and 17th centuries, the English cadence is described as sounding archaic[39] or old-fashioned.[40] It was first given its name in the 20th century.
The hallmark of this device is thedissonantaugmented octave (compoundaugmented unison) produced by afalse relation between the split seventhscale degree, as shown below in an excerpt fromO sacrum convivium byThomas Tallis. Thecourtesy accidental on the tenor's G♮ is editorial.
ALandini cadence (also known as aLandini sixth,Landini sixth cadence, orunder-third cadence[41]) is a cadence that was used extensively in the 14th and early 15th century. It is named afterFrancesco Landini, a composer who used them profusely. Similar to a clausula vera, it includes anescape tone in the upper voice, which briefly narrows the interval to aperfect fifth before the octave.
The classical and romantic periods of musical history provide many examples of the way the different cadences are used in context.
Mozart’s Romanze from hisPiano Concerto No. 20 follows a familiar pattern of a pair of phrases, one ending with a half (imperfect) cadence and the other with an authentic cadence:
Thepresto movement fromBeethoven’sString Quartet Op 130 follows the same pattern, but in a minor key:
The Hallelujah Chorus fromHandel’sMessiah culminates powerfully with an iterated plagal cadence:
Debussy’sprelude ‘La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin’ contains a plagal cadence in its 2nd and 3rd bars :
One of the most famous endings in all music is found in the concluding bars ofWagner’s operaTristan und Isolde, where thedissonant chord in the opening phrase of the opera is finally resolved "three enormous acts and five hours later"[42] in the form of a minor plagal cadence:
InBach's harmonization of thechorale ‘Wachet auf’, a phrase ending in a deceptive cadence repeats with the cadence changed to an authentic one:
The exposition of the first movement of Beethoven’sPiano Sonata No. 21 (The Waldstein Sonata), Op. 53 features a minor key passage where an authentic (perfect) cadence precedes a deceptive (interrupted) one:
Dvořák’sSlavonic Dance, Op. 72, No. 2 features deceptive (interrupted), half (imperfect) and authentic (perfect) cadences within its first sixteen bars:
Debussy's Prelude “La fille aux cheveux de lin” (see also above) concludes with a passage featuring a deceptive (interrupted) cadence that progresses, not from V–VI, but from V–IV:
Some varieties of deceptive cadence that go beyond the usual V–VI pattern lead to some startling effects. For example, a particularly dramatic and abrupt deceptive cadence occurs in the second Presto movement of Beethoven’sPiano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109, bars 97–112, "a striking passage that used to pre-occupy theorists".[43] The music at this point is in B minor, and carries the expectation is that the chord of F sharp (Chord V) will be followed by the tonic chord of B. However, "Dynamics become softer and softer; dominant and tonic chords of B minor appear isolated on the first beat of a bar, separated by silences: until in sudden fortissimo ... the recapitulation bursts on us in the tonic E minor, the B minor dominants left unresolved."[44]
An equally startling example occurs in J.S. Bach'sToccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540:
According toRichard Taruskin, in this Toccata, "the already much-delayed resolution is thwarted (m204) by what was the most spectacular 'deceptive cadence' anyone had composed as of the second decade of the eighteenth century ... producing an especially pungent effect."[45]Hermann Keller describes the effect of this cadence as follows: "the splendour of the end with the famousthird inversion of the seventh chord, who would not be enthralled by that?"[46]
Chopin'sFantaisie, Op. 49, composed over a century later in 1841, features a similar harmonic jolt:
A deceptive cadence is a useful means for extending a musical narrative. In the closing passage of Bach’sPrelude in F minor from Book II of theWell-Tempered Clavier, the opening theme returns and seems headed towards a possible final resolution on an authentic (perfect) cadence. What the listener may expect is:
Instead, at bar 60, Bach inserts a deceptive cadence (V–VI in F minor), leading to a lengthy digression of some dozen bars before reaching resolution on the final (V–I) cadence.
A similar passage occurs at the conclusion ofMozart'sFantasia in D minor, K397:
Cadences injazz are usually simply called cadences, as in common practice harmony. However, a certain category of cadence is referred to as aturnaround (originally called a "turnback" which is more accurate); this is when a cadence functions as a return to an already existing part of a song form such as AABA. In an AABA form, there are two turnbacks: at the end of the first A (A1) in order to repeat it (A2), and at the end of the B section in order to play the A a third time (A3). (The transition from the second A to the B is not a turnback, because the B section is being heard for the first time.)
Half-step cadences are common in jazz if not cliché.[clarification needed][47] For example, the ascending diminished seventh chord half-step cadence, which—using asecondary diminished seventh chord—creates momentum between two chords a major second apart (with the diminished seventh in between).[48]
The descending diminished seventh chord half-step cadence is assisted by twocommon tones.[48]
Cadences often include (and may be emphasized or signalled by) a change in the prevailing rhythmic pattern; in such cases the final note of the cadence usually takes more time (a longer note value, or followed by a rest, or both), and within a piece of music the cadences may also share a rhythmic pattern that is characteristic of the cadences in that piece. This method of ending a phrase with some distinctive rhythmic pattern has been called a "rhythmic cadence"; rhythmic cadences continue to function without harmony or melody, for example at the ends of phrases in music for drums. Some styles of music rely on frequent regular rhythmic cadences as a unifying feature of that style.[4] The example below shows a characteristic rhythmic cadence (i.e. many of the cadences in this piece share this rhythmic pattern) at the end of the first phrase (in particular the last two notes and the following rest, contrasted with the regular pattern set up by all the notes before them) ofJ.S. Bach'sBrandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BMV 1048, mvmt. I, mm. 1–2:
The definitions just given are offered in this book instead ofmasculine cadence andfeminine cadence respectively, terms that are no longer used.
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| Consonances | ||
| Dissonances | ||
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![{
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![{
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s2.
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>> }](/image.pl?url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fscore%2fs%2f3%2fs3z4b1yjv6chdih9gn2zxwqfkq7e122%2fs3z4b1yj.png&f=jpg&w=240)
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