cadence

views updated May 18 2018

cadence or close. Any melodic or harmonic progression which has come to possess a conventional association with the ending of a comp., a section, or a phrase.



The commonest harmonic cadences are: (a) Perfect cadence (or full close). Chord of the dominant followed by that of tonic. (b) Interrupted cadence. Chord of the dominant followed by that of submediant. (c) Imperfect cadence (or half close). Chord of the tonic or some other chord followed by that of dominant. (d) Plagal cadence. Chord of the subdominant followed by that of tonic.



To any of the dominant chords above mentioned the 7th may be added. Any of the chords may be taken in inversion, but if that is done in the case of the perfect cadence its effect of finality (i.e. its ‘perfection’) is lost.



The term Phrygian cadence is applied by various writers to (i) in major key a cadence ending on the chord of the dominant of relative minor (e.g. in key C major E–G♯–B), or (ii) any sort of imperfect cadence (half close) in minor mode, or (iii) first inversion of subdominant chord followed by dominant chord (e.g. in key C the chord A–C–F followed by the chord G–B–D). (It seems best to confine the name to the cadence (i) above, which is fairly common in J. S. Bach and for which no other name is available, whereas (ii) and (iii) are simply varieties of the imperfect cadence.)



For the cadence employing the tierce de Picardie see under that term.



Other terms are:



Abrupt cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). Amen cadence = plagal cadence (see above). Authentic cadence = perfect cadence (full close; see above). Avoided cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). Broken cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). Church cadence = plagal cadence (see above). Complete cadence = perfect cadence (full close; see above). Deceptive cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). Demi-cadence = imperfect cadence (half close; see above). Dominant cadence = imperfect cadence (half close; see above). Evaded cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). False close = interrupted cadence (see above). Greek cadence = plagal cadence (see above). Half cadence = half close (see imperfect cadence, above). Inverted cadence = perfect or imperfect cadence (full close or half close; see above) with its latter chord inverted. (Some confine the name to the perfect cadence thus changed; others extend it to all cadences having either chord, or both, inverted.) Irregular cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). Mixed cadence. The term is used in 2 ways—both of them superfluous. (1) A ‘mixing’ of the plagal and imperfect cadences, consisting of subdominant-dominant, this being merely the imperfect cadence in one of its commonest forms. (2) A mixing of the plagal and perfect cadences, consisting of the perfect cadence preceded by the subdominant—making 3 chords, instead of the usual two. This is merely the perfect cadence led up to in one of its commonest manners and should not require any special name. Radical cadence = any cadence of which the chords are in root position, i.e. the roots of the chords in the bass. Semi-perfect cadence = perfect cadence (see above) with the 3rd or 5th of the tonic in the highest part. Surprise cadence = interrupted cadence (see above). Suspended cadence = a hold-up before the final cadence of a piece, as that in a conc. (or, in former times, an aria) for the solo performer to work in a cadenza.



The above definitions accord with Brit. terminology. Amer. usage is different and inconsistent.

cadence

views updated May 21 2018

ca·dence / ˈkādns/ • n. 1. a modulation or inflection of the voice: the measured cadences that he employed in the Senate. ∎  such a modulation in reading aloud as implied by the structure and ordering of words and phrases in written text: the dry cadences of the essay. ∎  a fall in pitch of the voice at the end of a phrase or sentence. ∎  rhythm.2. Mus. a sequence of notes or chords comprising the close of a musical phrase: the final cadences of the Prelude.DERIVATIVES: ca·denced adj.

Cadence

views updated Jun 08 2018

Cadence ★★ 1989 (PG-13)

The directorial debut of actor Martin Sheen, this fitful melodrama stars son Charlie as an unruly trooper on a 1960s army base. Placed in an all-black stockade for punishment, he bonds with his brother prisoners by defying the hardcase sergeant (played by Sheen the elder). Characters and situations are intriguing but not rendered effectively. Based on the novel “Count a Lonely Cadence” by Gordon Weaver. 97m/C VHS, DVD . Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Beach, Ramon Estevez; D: Martin Sheen; M: Georges Delerue.

cadence

views updated May 18 2018

cadence In music, ending of a melodic phrase and/or its accompanying chord progression. In Western classical theory, the main kinds of chordal cadence are: perfect (dominant to tonic chords); imperfect (tonic or other chord to dominant); plagal (subdominant to tonic); and interrupted (dominant to chord other than tonic, often submediant).

cadence

views updated May 21 2018

cadence rhythm XIV; fall of the voice; close of a musical phrase, etc. XVI. — OF. — It. cadenza — popL. *cadentia, f. cadent-, prp. stem of cadere fall.
So cadency †cadence XVII; (her.) descent of a younger branch from the main line XVIII; see -Y 3. cadenza (mus.) flourish at a cadence. XIX. — It.