3 Understanding Music

Cadences

What is a cadence?

A cadence is a progression of two chords that act as a form of musical punctuation. They
are important in confirming the tonality or key of a piece of music, and help to mark the
end of phrases.
There are four main types of cadence used in Western Music. For your GCSE you will
be expected to know the names of each of these, and be able to identify them when
listening to a piece of unfamiliar music.

Degrees of the Scale

The different notes in a scale are known as degrees and each degree of the scale is given
a Roman numeral and a name. For example, in the scale of C major:

&
I ii iii V vi vii VIII (I)IV
Tonic Mediant Dominant Leading note
Supertonic Subdominant Submediant Tonic

Chords are named according to the degree of the scale on which they are constructed.
For example, in the key of C major, the chord G major is built on the note G, so it is
referred to as chord V, or the dominant chord.

&
I ii iii V vi vii VIII (I)IV
Tonic Mediant Dominant Leading note
Supertonic Subdominant Submediant Tonic

If the Roman numeral is written in upper-case, the chord is major; if the Roman numeral
associated with the chord is written lower-case, the chord is minor or diminished.

Cadences are named according to the chords involved, and the order in which they are
used. The use of these chords alone does not produced a cadence, though they must be
used at an appropriate time, such as at the end of a phrase.

Need help?
If you are not confident with labelling
3
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Western Music
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different chords in a piece of music using
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e in C major:
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Task 1

Triads and Chords worksheet may help you

Construct triads
notes to the for each of
stave. The first the notes of the followi
chord has been ng scales, by
G major: completed adding on the
for you. additional

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w
& w
D major:
w w w w w w
to do this.
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Important!
When you are
must take into building triads on a scale, Teacher Tip
example above,account the key signatu you If you are struggl
all of the Fs re. In the
chords built
on the G major that appear in the activity, it may ing with this
be F#s. scale, will actuall keyboard, and help to sit at a
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GCSE Music Understanding Music: Cadences Copyright 2017 Sean Young

what notes ue, to work
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Music Theory:
Triads and chord.
Chords Workshe
et
Copyright
2016 Sean
Young

1
 Types of Cadence

There are four main types of cadence: perfect, imperfect, plagal, and interrupted. The
types of chord used in the cadence decide what name it is given.
Western tonal music almost always ends with the tonic chord, as this is the most stable
of all chords in key of the music. For this reason, cadences that end on the tonic chord
sound the most final, whilst those that do not sound unfinished.
Perfect Cadence
The progression from the dominant chord (V) to the tonic chord (I) at the end of a
phrase is known as a perfect cadence. It is the most final sounding of all cadences, and

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is similar to the role of a full stop in writing.
Perfect Cadence

#3
Adapted from RM102

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? # 3
4
Key of G major: V I

Plagal Cadence
The progression from the subdominant chord (IV) to the tonic chord (I) at the end
of a phrase is known as a plagal cadence. The cadence sounds like the words Amen

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being sung, as it was often used to harmonise the final cadence of hymns.
Plagal Cadence

#c
Adapted from RM330

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Key of G major: IV I

Imperfect Cadence
Any chord followed by chord V at the end of a phrase creates an imperfect cadence.
This creates a temporary point of rest, like a comma, and does not sound finished,

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suggesting that another phrase will follow.
Imperfect Cadence Perfect Cadence

# U
Adapted from RM44

& #c
# #


? ##c #

u
Key of D major: I V Key of A major: V I
A Notice the key has changed and the
chords are named in the new key.

GCSE Music Understanding Music: Cadences Copyright 2017 Sean Young

2
 Interrupted Cadence
In an interrupted cadence, chord V (or V7) is followed by any chord except the tonic
(chord I). The listener anticipates the tonic to form a perfect cadence, but this is lit-
erally interrupted with an unexpected chord. Often the unexpected chord is chord vi,

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creating a modulation to the relative minor, as in the example below.
Interrupted Cadence

b
&b bc
Adapted from RM179

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b
Key of Eb major: V V7 vi

Task 1
Name the type of cadence indicated by the bracket in each of the examples below.

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fij
& C




p fz

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From Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 35

Cadence: ....................................................

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3 j
j j

& b4 j
3 3 3
J

j j
p
j j
f
? b3 J
4

From Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 2, I

Cadence: ....................................................

GCSE Music Understanding Music: Cadences Copyright 2017 Sean Young

3
 {

j j
&b 8 #
b9
J J

p expressivo

? bb9
8
From Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 25, II

Cadence: ....................................................

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3
& 4

#

?3
n
4
From RM12

Cadence: ....................................................

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3 n
b
& 4 . j

j
? b3
4
From Mozart, Piano Sonata, K. 330, II

Cadence: ....................................................

GCSE Music Understanding Music: Cadences Copyright 2017 Sean Young

4
 {
Task 2
Add in the missing notes to complete the cadences in the examples below.

Perfect Cadence

4
& 4

?4
4

Key of C major: V I

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Imperfect Cadence

#c
&

? #c

Key of G major: I V

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Perfect Cadence

#c
&

? #c
Adapted from RM5

Key of G major: V7 I

GCSE Music Understanding Music: Cadences Copyright 2017 Sean Young

5
 Task 3
Listen to the attached audio file to complete this task.
Each excerpt of music will be played twice, with a pause between each playing.
Tick the appropriate box in the table below, to indicate which type of cadence is heard at the
end of each excerpt.

Cadence
Excerpt
Perfect Imperfect Plagal Interrupted

1 P P P P
2 P P P P
3 P P P P
4 P P P P
5 P P P P
6 P P P P

GCSE Music Understanding Music: Cadences Copyright 2017 Sean Young