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Definition
A cadence is a musical punctuation mark. It is a combination of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic activity
which creates a natural breathing point in a musical phrase.
Cadences are often defined purely in terms of chords - often as two-chord progressions. This definition is
not nearly adequate. In order to emphasize the melodic elements of a cadence we will begin with a set of
definitions based on single melodic lines.
Listen to this melody. It is clearly a finished line. At the end of it there is no
sensation that there needs to be anything more. It ends with a line which descends to the tonic and this
descending line constitutes the cadence. The section I would call "the cadence" is marked on the music
shown below.
Because the descending line creates a feeling of complete finality this is called a "perfect full-close" or
simply a "perfect cadence".
A cadence requires melodic motion towards the tonic. This motion can be ascending but a descent is far
more common and the descending form is by far the most useful archetype. A line which
rises to the tonic does not produce nearly the same sense of completion as a similar
falling line. A descending line provides the sense of relaxation which seems to be
needed to achieve a strong sense of finality. This happens in speech as well - the voice typically drops at
the end of a statement. A rising tone in a speaker's voice produces an expectation that there is more to
come. This is all in keeping with an early 16th century definition of cadence which was "a fall of the
voice".
Here is another example. In this case the phrase does not feel complete. There is a
line leading downwards towards the tonic, but it stops on  . This type of cadence is called a "half-
close". Often a phrase which ends with a half-close is followed by another phrase
which ends with a full close, completing the motion to the tonic which was started in the first phrase. The
speech equivalent of a half-close is a comma or a semi-colon. The voice falls slightly and there is a pause,
but you know there is still more to come.
In the final example of this introduction the phrase appears to be heading for the
tonic, but it makes a "wrong turn" at the last moment, ending with - instead of - . As
with the half-close, the phrase does not feel finished. This type of phrase ending is called an "imperfect
full-close" or simply an "imperfect cadence". This is rather like ending a sentence with a question, or with
a questioning tone of voice.
( If the use of the term "imperfect" is confusing you, you may want to look at the page on
cadence naming conventions.)
We will return to these definitions later on in this chapter, adding the full harmonic context, but first let us
explore the melodic origins of the most important chords in this progression.
© 2005 Andrew Hodgson
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- Click on this icon to hear the musical examples!
