Inmusic, acadenza, (from Italian:cadenza[kaˈdɛntsa], meaningcadence; plural,cadenze[kaˈdɛntse]) is, generically, animprovised or written-outornamentalpassage played or sung by asoloist(s), usually in a "free"rhythmic style, and often allowingvirtuosic display. During this time theaccompaniment will rest, or sustain a note or chord. Thus an improvised cadenza is indicated in written notation by afermata in all parts. A cadenza will usually occur over either the final or penultimate note in a piece, the lead-in (German:Eingang),[2] or the final or penultimate note in an important subsection of a piece. A cadenza can also be found before a finalcoda orritornello.[3]
Initially, cadenzas were more simple and structured - a performer would add smallembellishments such as trills to the end ofcadences. These small embellishments of the early cadenza did not affect meter. However, as the improvised embellishments continued, they became longer and more thought out. This made way for the 'composed' cadenza which ultimately progressed into the 'free'metered feel that is more commonly associated with cadenzas today. Performers are able to play without being tied to meter or a strict time, and accompanists inorchestra await their entrance.[4]
Written-out cadenza from Mozart's K. 398 (end of variation 6) demonstrates the often unmetered quality of cadenzas.[5]
The termcadenza often refers to a portion of aconcerto in which theorchestra stops playing, leaving the soloist to play alone infree time (without a strict, regular pulse) and can be written or improvised, depending on what the composer specifies. Sometimes, a cadenza will include small parts for other instruments besides the soloist; an example is inSergei Rachmaninoff'sPiano Concerto No. 3, where a solo flute, clarinet and horn are used over rippling arpeggios in the piano. A cadenza normally occurs near the end of the first movement, though it can be at any point in aconcerto. An example isTchaikovsky'sFirst Piano Concerto, where in the first five minutes a cadenza is used. The cadenza is usually the most elaborate and virtuosic part that the solo instrument plays during the whole piece. At the end of the cadenza, the orchestra re-enters, and generally finishes off the movement on their own, or, less often, with the solo instrument.
Typically during the classical period, a solo cadenza in a concerto would end with atrill, usually on thesupertonic, preceding the re-entry of the orchestra for the movement'scoda. Extended cadential trills were frequent inMozart'spiano concerti; they may also be found inviolin concerti and concerti for stringed instruments of the period up to the early 19th century (see illustration at head of this article).
The cadenza was originally, and remains, a vocal flourish improvised by a performer to elaborate a cadence in anaria. It was later used in instrumental music, and soon became a standard part of the concerto. Cadenzas for voice and wind instruments were to be performed in one breath, and they should not use distantkeys.[7] Originally, it was improvised in this context as well, but during the 19th century,composers began to write cadenzas out in full.[8] Third parties also wrote cadenzas for works in which it was intended by the composer to be improvised, so the soloist could have a well formed solo that they could practice in advance. Some of these have become so widely played and sung that they are effectively part of the standard repertoire, as is the case withJoseph Joachim's cadenza forJohannes Brahms'Violin Concerto,Beethoven's set of cadenzas forMozart'sPiano Concerto no. 20, andEstelle Liebling's edition of cadenzas for operas such asDonizetti'sLa fille du régiment andLucia di Lammermoor.
Perhaps the most notable deviations from this tendency towards written (or absent) cadenzas are to be found injazz, most often at the end of aballad, though cadenzas in this genre are usually brief. SaxophonistJohn Coltrane, however, usually improvised an extended cadenza when performing "I Want To Talk About You", in which he showcased his predilections for scalar improvisation andmultiphonics. The recorded examples of "I Want To Talk About You" (Live at Birdland andAfro Blue Impressions) are approximately 8 minutes in length, with Coltrane's unaccompanied cadenza taking up approximately 3 minutes. More sardonically, jazz criticMartin Williams once described Coltrane's improvisations on "Africa/Brass" as "essentially extended cadenzas to pieces that never get played."[9] Equally noteworthy is saxophonistSonny Rollins' shorter improvised cadenza at the close of "Three Little Words" (Sonny Rollins on Impulse!).[citation needed]
Cadenzas are also found in instrumental solos with piano or other accompaniment, where they are placed near the beginning or near the end or sometimes in both places (e.g. the cornet solo "The Maid of the Mist" byHerbert L. Clarke, or the end of "Think of Me" inAndrew Lloyd Webber'sThe Phantom of the Opera, where Christine Daaé sings a short but involved cadenza).
Johann Strauss II unusually wrote a cadenza-like solo for cello and flute for the final section of hisEmperor Waltz, before the piece is brought to an end by a round of trumpets and then the whole orchestra.[10]
The second movement ofBach'sthird Brandenburg Concerto consists of just two chords; it is generally taken to indicate a cadenza to be improvised around thatcadence.
The first movement of Bach'sfifth Brandenburg Concerto features an extensive written cadenza for harpsichord.
Beethoven's"Emperor" Concerto contains a notated cadenza.[1] It begins with a cadenza that is partly accompanied by the orchestra. Later in the first movement, the composer specifies that the soloist should play the music that is written out in the score, and not add a cadenza on one's own.
Beethoven famously included a cadenza-like solo foroboe in therecapitulation section of the first movement of hisSymphony No. 5.
Tchaikovsky'sfirst piano concerto is notable not only for having a cadenza within the first few minutes of the first movement, but also for having asecond – substantially longer – cadenza in a more conventional place, near the end of the movement.
Rachmaninoff'sPiano Concerto No. 3, in which the first movement features a long and incredibly difficulttoccata-like cadenza with an even longer alternative orossia cadenza written in a heavier chordal style. Both cadenzas lead to an identical section with arpeggios in the piano and a solo flute accompanying, before the cadenza ends quietly.
Karlheinz Stockhausen composed five ensemble cadenzas in his wind quintetZeitmaße (1955–1956),[11] cadenzas for piccolo trumpet and piccolo inLuzifers Tanz (1983), and a cadenza for cor anglais in his trioBalance (2007)
Karol Szymanowski's two violin concertos both feature cadenzas written by the violinist who was intended to play them,Paweł Kochański.
In the third movement ofElgar'sViolin Concerto, there is an unexpected cadenza in which the orchestra supports the solo with a pizzicato tremolando effect ("cadenza accompagnato").
Carlos Chávez'sViolin Concerto has a seven-minute unaccompanied cadenza as the third of its five main sections, despite the fact that the soloist plays almost without a break throughout the rest of the 35-minute-long composition
John Williams composed a 6-minute segment consisting of a cadenza, a series of variations, and a few more elaborations to go over the opening credits of the 1971 filmFiddler on the Roof, performed by violinistIsaac Stern.[18]
^Jacob, Heinrich Eduard (1940).Johann Strauss – A Century of Light Music. Hutchinson. p. 294.
^Jerome Kohl,Karlheinz Stockhausen: Zeitmaße, Landmarks in Music Since 1950, edited by Wyndham Thomas (Abingdon, Oxon; London; New York: Routledge, 2017): 89–121.ISBN978-0-7546-5334-9.
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