What is a cadence?

A cadence is made up of two chords which signal the end of a musical phrase. There are four different kinds:The Perfect Cadence is really recognisable because we hear it all the time! It is a chord V followed by a chord I and sounds like a really obvious end of a musical idea.The Imperfect Cadence, on the other hand, sounds unfinished. It ends on a chord V and makes you feel like there is more to come.The Plagal Cadence is found in a lot of church music. It is a chord IV followed by a chord I.The Interrupted Cadence sound really surprising. It starts in the same way as a Perfect cadence, but doesn't end on a chord I. It usually ends on a minor chord.

KW
Answered by Kate W. Music tutor

5006 Views

See similar Music GCSE tutors

Related Music GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Identify some features from Debussy's Claire de Lune that are associated with the Romantic era.


Listen to the following piece by Frédéric Chopin and comment on its key features. Your answer should consider texture, tonality, melody, and rhythm.


What should I say when asked to talk about the dynamics of a piece?


What is the circle of fifths?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning