GCSE Music:

Cadences
 Chord revision
• Triads are given roman numerals depending
on which note of the scale is at the bottom
of the chord.
• So, chord I is C chord, chord II is D
chord, III is E chord and so on.
• For instance in C major the triads look like
this:

I II III IV V VI VII VIII

 Chord revision
• What is chord V in G?

• What is chord II in D?

• What is chord IV in F?

• What is chord I in C?
 Cadences

• When two triads are put together,

they form a cadence.
• Cadences are like punctuation in music
and either make the piece sound
finished or as if there is going to be
more.
 Cadences
• The most important triads for
cadences are I, IV, and V.

• These are called Primary Chords – just

like primary colours can make up other
colours:
 Cadences
• The main types of cadences are:

PERFECT: V – I (sounds finished, like a

full stop)
 Harmony: Cadences

1.Perfect Cadence: V – I (sounds

finished). A confident and conclusive
end to a section.

V I
 Cadences
• So, in C major, a perfect cadence
would be:
G chord > C chord (chord V > I )

• and an imperfect cadence could be:

C chord > G chord ( chord I > V)
 Cadences

PLAGAL: IV – I (sounds finished and a bit

like an Amen)
 Harmony: Cadences
2.Plagal Cadence: IV – I (sounds
finished). His cadence is traditionally
the ‘amen’ progression normally sung in
church and therefore makes a solemn
end to a section.

IV I
 Cadences

IMPERFECT: any triad - V (sounds

unfinished or like a comma)
 Harmony: Cadences
3.Imperfect Cadence: Any triad – V
• This cadence sounds unfinished; it is a very
common kind of cadence as its impact is less
dramatic than the other three.
• They are a bit like a musical comma and, as
seen below, can be any chord as long as they
are followed by Chord V
 Harmony: Cadences
4.Interrupted Cadence: Chord V – any
chord but I (most often to Chord VI).
• This cadence sounds totally unfinished.
• It plays a trick on your sense of anticipation;
because it starts on the V chord, it leads your
ear to expect a perfect cadence, but instead it
leads to another chord. This feels very much
like a colon in a sentence: you know there’s
more to come!
 Cadences
• This is how cadences work in Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star :
Chord IV > I (plagal cadence)

Chord V > I (perfect cadence)

 Harmony: Cadences
• Tierce de Picardie: Both perfect and
Plagal cadences can finish on a Tierce
de Picardie.
• This is where the final chord in a minor
key is major instead of minor (done by
raising the third note of the chord from a
minor 3rd to a major 3rd.
• The effect can be very striking and has a
sense of relief to it – especially after a
long piece in the minor key.
 Composition Task
(started last week)
• By now, you should have 8 or 16 bars of rhythm
written on one note in Sibelius.

• Now think about some chords that you could put

with your rhythm. Choose from I, II, IV and V so in
C major this would be C, Dm, F and G chords. You
could also try using V7 which is G7 too!

• At bar 3-4, you should use chord I and then V and

at bar 7-8 you should use V then I. These form
your cadences (imperfect then perfect)