Cadences are divided into four main types, according to their harmonic progression:
authentic (typically
perfect authentic or
imperfect authentic),
half,
plagal, and
deceptive. Typically, phrases end on authentic or half cadences, and the terms
plagal and
deceptive refer to motion that avoids or follows a phrase-ending cadence. Each cadence can be described using the
Roman numeral system of naming
chords.
Authentic cadence {{Image frame|content= { \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8) \new PianoStaff -. } >> \new Staff -. -. -. } >> >> } |width=270|caption=The final two chords represent a perfect authentic cadence; from
Beethoven's
Piano Sonata No. 8, mvmt. III, mm. 16–17.}}An authentic cadence is a cadence from a
dominant-functioning chord (commonly V) to the
tonic chord (I). During the dominant chord, a
seventh above the dominant may be added to create a
dominant seventh chord (V7); other dominant-functioning chords such as a
leading tone triad or seventh chord can also take its place. The dominant chord may also be preceded by a
cadential 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." Music theorist
William Caplin writes that the perfect authentic cadence "achieves complete harmonic and melodic closure." {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }}
Imperfect authentic cadence There are three types of imperfect authentic cadences (IAC): •
Root position IAC (shown below): Similar to a perfect authentic cadence, but the highest voice is not the tonic. {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }} •
Inverted IAC: Similar to a perfect authentic cadence, but one or both chords are
inverted. •
Leading-tone IAC: The penultimate (V) chord is replaced with a chord based on the leading-tone (viio chord).
Evaded cadence An evaded cadence (a subtype of the inverted IAC) moves from a dominant seventh
third inversion chord (V) to a
first inversion tonic chord (I). 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 V right before resolution, thereby "evading" the root-position I chord that would usually follow a root-position V. (See also
inverted cadence below.) {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }}
Half cadence A half cadence (also called an
imperfect cadence or
semicadence) 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. {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }} Several types of half cadences are described below.
Phrygian half cadence {{Image frame|content= { \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> } |width=420|caption=The last two chords represent a Phrygian half cadence in
J.S. Bach's four-part
chorale,
Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind.}} 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 the
Phrygian 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). A characteristic gesture in
Baroque music, the Phrygian cadence often concluded a slow movement immediately followed ("attacca") by a faster one. {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }}
Lydian cadence A
Lydian 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 a
half step. In other words, the Phrygian half cadence begins with the first chord built on
scale degree , while the Lydian half cadence is built on the scale degree . {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }}
Burgundian cadences Burgundian cadences became popular in
Burgundian music. Note the
parallel fourths between the upper voices. {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }}
Plagal half cadence 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, by
inversion, a descending fifth). The plagal half cadence is a weak cadence, ordinarily at the ending of an
antecedent phrase, after which a
consequent phrase commences. One example of this use is in "
Auld Lang Syne". But in one very unusual occurrence – the end of the
exposition of the first movement of
Brahms'
Clarinet Trio, Op. 114—it is used to complete not just a musical phrase but an entire section of a movement.
Plagal cadence A plagal cadence is a cadence from IV to I. It is also known as the
Amen cadence because of its frequent setting to the text "Amen" in
hymns. {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }}
William Caplin disputes the existence of plagal cadences in music of the classical era although they begin to appear in the nineteenth century: The plagal cadence may be interpreted as I–V if the IV–I cadence is perceived as a
modulation 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. An early suggestion of the Moravian cadence in classical music occurs in
Antonín Dvořák’s
New World Symphony.
Deceptive cadence {{Image frame|content= { \new PianoStaff > \new Staff 2 4 \stemUp bes'^( a8) } \new Voice \relative c { \stemDown \partial4. s8 s4 s2. d4. } >> >> } |width=350|caption=A deceptive cadence in the second movement of
Mozart's
Piano Sonata No. 10. most commonly V7–vi (or V7–VI) in major or V7–VI in minor. This is considered a weak cadence because of the "hanging" (suspended) feeling it invokes. {{block indent| \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > >> }} At the beginning of the final movement of
Gustav Mahler's
9th Symphony, the listener hears a string of many deceptive cadences progressing from V to IV6. 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 of
Brahms'
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. The interrupted cadence is also frequently used in popular music. For example, the
Pink Floyd song "
Bring the Boys Back Home" ends with such a cadence (at approximately 0:45–50). == Other classifications ==