Editing Cadence (section)

{{Short description|End of a musical phrase with resolution}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Image frame|content=<score sound="1">
    {
      \new PianoStaff <<
        \new Staff <<
            \new Voice \relative c'' {
                \stemUp \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4
                d2 b c1
                }
            \new Voice \relative c' {
                \stemDown
                f2 d e1
                }
            >>
        \new Staff <<
            \new Voice \relative c' {
                \stemUp \clef bass \key c \major
                a2 g g1
                }
            \new Voice \relative c {
                \stemDown
                d2 g, c1 \bar "||"
                }
            >>
    >> }
</score>|width=250|caption=The final two chords present an authentic (or perfect) cadence with [[root (chord)|roots]] in the bass lines and the [[tonic (music)|tonic]] note in the highest voice of the final chord): the three chords are a [[ii–V–I progression]] in C major, in four-[[part (music)|part]] [[harmony]].{{sfn|Benward|Saker|2003|p=90}}}}

In [[Classical music|Western]] [[musical theory]], a '''cadence''' ({{ety|la|cadentia|a falling}}) is the end of a [[Phrase (music)|phrase]] in which the [[melody]] or [[harmony]] creates a sense of full or partial [[resolution (music)|resolution]], especially in music of the 16th century onwards.<ref name="Randel">[[Don Michael Randel]] (1999). ''The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', pp. 105-106. {{ISBN|0-674-00084-6}}.</ref> A harmonic cadence is a [[chord progression|progression]] of two or more [[chord (music)|chord]]s that [[conclusion (music)|concludes]] a phrase, [[section (music)|section]], or [[composition (music)|piece]] of [[music]].{{sfn|Benward|Saker|2003|p=359}} A rhythmic cadence is a characteristic [[rhythm]]ic pattern that indicates the end of a phrase.<ref name="B&S 91">{{harvnb|Benward|Saker|2003|p=91}}</ref> A cadence can be labeled  "weak" or "strong" depending on the impression of finality it gives. 

While cadences are usually classified by specific chord or [[melodic]] progressions, the use of such progressions does not necessarily constitute a cadence—there must be a sense of closure, as at the end of a phrase. [[Harmonic rhythm]] plays an important part in determining where a cadence occurs. The word "cadence" sometimes slightly shifts its meaning depending on the context; for example, it can be used to refer to the last few notes of a particular phrase, or to just the final chord of that phrase, or to types of chord progressions that are suitable for phrase endings in general.

Cadences are strong indicators of the [[tonic (music)|tonic]] or central pitch of a passage or piece.<ref name="Randel"/> The [[musicologist]] [[Edward Lowinsky]] proposed that the cadence was the "cradle of [[tonality]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Judd |first=Christle Collins |title=Tonal Structures in Early Music |publisher=Routledge |year=1998 |isbn=0-8153-3638-1 |editor-last=Judd |editor-first=Christle Collins |pages=6 |chapter=Introduction: Analyzing Early Music}}</ref>