BASIC FIFTH RELATIONSHIP POSTON OF ROOT IN FINAL TONIC CONAUSION ON ‘ATONIC CHORD PRESENCE OF LEADING TONE MARMONIC STRUCTURE OF THE PHRASE experienced analysts may hold differing opinions, Occasionally passage: ‘ccur that might be construed as part of a phrase, as one phrase. o: ac more than a phrase. Different theonsts would almost certainly disagrec and it is doubtful if the composer himself would be able to decide, even j/ he cared. Such a case is Bach’s exquisite Come, Sweet Death, in which several possibilities present themselves. The student need not be con, cemed, however, if he should come across certain passages that defy al) attempts at division into a definite succession of phrases. Great poetry and Prose are not always written in a syntactically straightforward manner |; by ignoring the “rules” writers and composers can express an idea more early or with greater power, they are certain to do 60. Students who have leamed to recognize and appreciate music which is systematic and prease will be in a better position to recognize and appreciate that which is not 2B. THE CADENCE } The immediate goal of the phrase is its cadence, the chords that bring it tc | @ dose. An important characteristic of any cadence is its degree of finality expressed in terms of relative strength. The greater the conviction o | condusiveness exhibited by a cadence, the stronger that cadence is con sidered to be. There are a number of factors involved here If the roots are a fifth apart, the cadence is stronger when this interval i: made apparent to the ear by placing both roots in the bass. In other word: 2 cadence will be strengthened if the final pair of chords, roots lying. fit” apart, are both used in fundamental position. Af the phrase concludes with a tonic chord, it will be stronger if the roo! rather than the third or fifth, appears in the uppermost voice of this chord A cadence that ends on a tonic chord is stronger than one that does nc This is true even when this final tonic is a secondary tonic, but. as we hav seem in Ex. 1-1, the most condusive chord for a cadence is the pnma tonic of the piece The chief key-defining tendency note is the leading tone. If 2 phrase 1s tc conclude on a tonic chord, the cadence in which a leading tone appears 1" the penultimate chord is stronger than one which lacks it. Therefore. the authentic cadence (V-I) is stronger than the plagal cadence (IV-I). If the leading tone is heard simultaneously with the fourth degree of the scal: the pull of the resulting tritone strengthens the cadence still more. In othe! words, other elements being equal, V'-I is stronger than V-]STRONG-BEAT ENDING BREADTH SLOWING OF MOTION conctusNvE CADENGS (Codential Formulas When the final chord of a cadence is rhythmically stronger than the penultimate chord, as in the cadences of Ex. 1-1, mm. 7-8 and 15-16, the «adence is more conclusive than it is when the reverse situation obtains. Weak-beat endings are illustrated by Ex. 5-1a, mm. 8 and 13, and Ex 5-Ib, m. 10. Here the V’ falls on a stronger beat of the bar than does the fina! |. Reference to the cadences in mm. 4 and 12 of Ex. 1-1 reveals a situation midway between the strong-beat and weak-beat endings: the movement of the harmony and the bass line are those of a strong-beat ending, but the melodic line has a weak-beat character. Thus a basically strong-beat ca- dence can have a considerably less conclusive quality. A cadence which takes up a greater amount of time will seem stronger than one taking less time. other aspects being equal. Cadences are often broadened by a dominant preparation (the full cadence, discussed in Sec- tion 2-C) or by expansion of the dominant note in the bass over several beats or more (e.g., V-I-V-D. When a cadence is heard simultaneously with a slowing up of the pace, the effect is more conclusive than when the pace continues at the same speed. For instance, in Ex. 1-1 the note values change from eighth notes to quarters at mm. 7-8. adding to the conclusive effect of the cadence Similarly, at mm. 15-16 the cadence is strengthened by the change from sixteenths to quarters. As every performer knows, a slowing of tempo, too, can have much the same effect. 2c. CADENTIAL FORMULAS The various cadences, while exerting enough conviction of finality to bring a composition to a satisfactory close, are of very different relative strengths, and, of course, they appear as phrase endings throughout a emposition, not only at its close. Any of the penultimate chords may be either a triad or seventh chord. Not infrequently, the composer mixes the major and minor modes within a single passage with the result that various alterations may occur (Ex. 2~2c and e). Example 2-2f is the result of a vestige of the Phrygian mode With Leading Tone Without Leading Tone (Authentic and related) (Plagal and related) v-1 Iv-1 vil ()VI-L MI-I (p)1-1HARMONIC STRUCTURE OF THE PHRASE Example 2-2 Dlustrations of some conclusive cadences 01 «) «@ fn) fem eee en jd ; : id Ps ; ee metre i Oe i owe} k Gv, 1 wig 1 5 1 v 1 > i wot Example 2-3a shows a cadence that is often to be found in nineteenth century music. Although on paper the penultimate chord appears to be iiig, the ear easily recognizes it as a variant of V (see Ex. 2-3b and 4-13, m 19). Example 2-3 Authentic cadence with substituted 6th , o, G Viner) VE Composers of the twentieth century have regularly avoided the pur authentic or plagal cadence. The chief cadential practices of recent com posers of tonal music can be grouped by procedure. Addition or substitution of tones in the cadential chords Example 2-4 _ PROKOFIEV: Peter and the Wolf, Triumphal March(Cadential Formulas 2. Omission of tones in the cadential chords Example 2-5 BARTOK: Quartet No. 2, Finale Gopynght 1920 by Universal Edition: renewed 1946 Copynght and renewal assigned to Boosey and Hiewkes. Inc. Reprinted by permussion of Universal Editon (London) Lid. and Boosey and Hawkes 3. Contrivance of new penultimate chord made up of notes that resolve stepwise into the final tonic Example 2-6 SCHOENBERG: Variations on a Recitative for Organ Gepynght 1943 by H.W. Gry Co., Inc., New York. Reprinted by permission 4. Approach to final tonic by systematic descent or ascent of seconds, thirds, or fourthsMARMONIC STRUCTURE OF THE PHRASE Example 2-7 MINDEMITH: Das Marienleben (revised), No. 15 © Copynght 19$¢. Schon & Co., Ltd. London. and Assoaated Music Publishers, Inc., New Yor ‘Repnnted by permission of the onginal copyngh! o-7"PERFECT AND IMPERFECT AUTHENTIC THE RULL CADENCE cADEAL ELABORATION (Codential Formulas When the V of the authentic cadence is in fundamental position and the root of the final I appears in both outer voices (as in Ex. 2-2a and Ex. 2-4), the cadence is considered perfect. Otherwise it is imperiect. The strongest sadence is.an-authentic perfect cadence with strong-beat ending When the authentic cadence is enlarged by a prefix functioning as a Preparation to the V, we speak of a full cadence. Most commonly the bass Gf the prefix is on the fourth scale degree, supporting IV, iif,. bll*, or even vais, thus leading smoothly to the root of V. At other times the bass of the reix moves by descending fifth or ascending fourth to V. supporting the 41in root position. Not infrequently the prefix moves down from the sixth scale degree to V, in which case it supports a vi or IV™. The cadences in m. 7 and m. 15 of Ex. 1-1 are full cadences using the formula ii,-V-1. The student may note that no mention has been made of the If which both times precedes the V. The reasoning behind the method of harmonic analysis employed here is that, since the If is heard not as a! m its own right but as an oramentation (two accented passing tones) of the V. only one real harmony, the dominant, has actually sounded. In- deed. the nomenclature If is misleading, since it indicates a tonic chord, whereas the entire harmony is in fact dominant. The If merely delays for a moment the unqualified appearance of V. This delaying action is a method of elaborating the cadence Another commonly used elaboration of the full cadence involving a delay in the appearance of V is the connection of V with its preceding shord by means of chromatic passing notes (Ex. 2-82) Example 2-8 Bustrations of cadential elaboration ‘A delay may occur not in the appearance of V, but in the appearance of I Example 2-8b shows how a delay by means of nonharmonic tones might take place. On paper the aggregation of tones on the first beat of m. 2 of that example looks like a IV$ chord, but, because of the bass note, the Bstener hears this as a delayed I. The implication here of an intervening IV an be openly manifested (Ex. 2-8). It is this elaboration of the authentic tedence that Wagner employs on a large scale in the final bars (m. 25 ff fom end) of Tristan und IsoldeMARMONIC STRUCTURE OF THE PHRASE From these examples we conclude that a cadential progression is elab. rated by delaying one or more of its chords through the introduction Ronharmonic tones which comprise in themselves an intervening chor Tema The half cadence (semicadence) is one which can close a phrase within » SAPENC! composition but is not conclusive. It can take various forms, the moc: common being one in which the chord progression ends with V (Ex. 2-9) Other types of half cadence occasionally appear, such as that which ends with IV (as in “never brought to mind” in Auld Lang Syne). Occasional); ‘especially in music of the late nineteenth century, another chord, such a: the transposed augmented six-five-three chord (“German sixth”), acts as 5 dominant substitute (Ex. 2-9b). Example 2-9 Half cadences ® cm 6 Ur. 6) cri a which the V is followed not by the expected | } actually No more than a type o! harmonies producing an effec an authentic cadence. Such a “thre« the use of an augmented sixth choré roduces a mildly conclusiv« duce cadences that cen chord progression mz) , for the effect of @ ts relation to the othe: eS The phrases i a good composition do not nomally give the impression having been baldly juxtaposed with obvious gaps between thoes hatMOVEMENT IN THE ‘ACCOMPANIMENT CONTINUATION (OF THE MELODIC ‘UNE ELISION OF THE CADENCE ‘Special Treatment of the Cadence the composer treats the cadences in ways designed to create a flow throughout a number of phrases. This continuity often tends to obviate the conclusive quality of an otherwise strong cadence. The means by which this continuity is achieved can be grouped into several categories A simple and extremely common method of linking two phrases is to Provide rhythmic motion in the accompaniment. Example 1-1 illustrates this method (mm. 4 and 12). The motion linking the two phrases may take place in the main melodic line itself. Example 2-10 HINDEMITH: Quintet, Op. 24 No 2, Waltz © Copynght 1922. B. Schot’s Soehne, Mainz. Reprinted by permussion of the cngunal copynght owner aed Assousted Music Publishers. Inc, New York Example 2-11 Bizet: Carmen, Second Entracte In Ex. 2-11 Bizet achieves a particularly smooth effect by causing the cadence of one phrase to occur simultaneously with the beginning of the mext. In such cases, which occur frequently, we speak of elision, or the elided cadence. (See also Beethoven's Symphony No. 8, First Movement, mm. 11-12.)\ HARMONIC STRUCTURE OF THE PHRASE : ovpuarrmc Example 2-12 wo.r: Gebel, Morike-lieder No. 28 Lg phrase ends) [mew phrase eh oe phrase | ‘on the second beat of th: aes until the end of the: ‘nase mcm of phrases, a device mos ee, ital texture. [See also Bach. Th: 19, mm. 8-9.) 9, what are the