page_title: Cadence
section_title: Authentic cadences and half cadences
hierarchical_section_title: Cadence / Common Practice Period / Authentic cadences and half cadences
caption_attribution_description: English: Mozart Romanze from Piano Concerto 20
context_page_description: In Western musical theory, a cadence is "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music. A rhythmic cadence is a characteristic rhythmic pattern that indicates the end of a phrase.
  A cadence is labeled more or less "weak" or "strong" depending on its sense of finality. 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.
  Cadences are strong indicators of the tonic or central pitch of a passage or piece. Edward Lowinsky proposed that the cadence was the "cradle of tonality".
context_section_description: Mozart’s Romanze from his Piano Concerto No. 20 follows a familiar pattern of a pair of phrases, one ending with a half (imperfect) cadence and the other with an authentic (perfect) cadence:
  The presto movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 130 follows the same pattern, but in a minor key:
caption: Mozart Romanze from Piano Concerto 20
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