plagal cadence

n. A cadence with the subdominant chord immediately preceding the tonic chord. Also called amen cadence.

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Noun

plagal cadence - a cadence (frequently ending church music) in which the chord of the subdominant precedes the chord of the tonicamen cadencecadence - the close of a musical section

Plagal Cadence

a type of harmonic cadence in which the final tonic chord is preceded by the subdominant (for example,

The plagal cadence is the opposite of the principal type, the perfect (authentic) cadence, in which the progression is from the dominant to the tonic. Compared with the perfect cadence, it is gentler, less dynamic, and less intense. Because it is frequently encountered at the end of Renaissance polyphonic compositions, the plagal cadence is also called the church cadence. The plagal cadence is used in Russian music, especially folk music, with its typical IV-I ending. An example of the plagal quality of Russian music is Sadko’s song “Oh, Dark Little Leafy Grove,” from the second scene of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Sadko.

REFERENCE

Trambitskii, V. N. “Plagal’nost’ i rodstvennye ei sviazi v russkoi pesen-noi garmonii.” In the collection Voprosy muzykoznaniia, fasc. 2. Moscow, 1955.

plagal cadence

plagal cadence

Plagal Cadence

Plagal Cadence

REFERENCE

plagal cadence

Synonyms for plagal cadence

noun a cadence (frequently ending church music) in which the chord of the subdominant precedes the chord of the tonic

Synonyms

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