Closing Motif

What it means

A closing motif (German Anschlussmotiv) is a short motif attached directly after a cadence to confirm or vary its sense of closure. The concept comes from older German form theory, notably associated with Hugo Riemann, and describes a particular kind of afterthought at the end of a formal section.

Unlike a new thematic idea, a closing motif introduces no fresh impulse; instead it prolongs the closure already reached. It strains, so to speak, out of the cadence without cancelling its effect, and is therefore understood as an especially elaborated feminine (unaccented) cadential ending.

In the notation

In Riemann's phrasing notation, closing motifs are marked by phrasing slurs that run backward over the actual cadence into the appended figure, showing it to be a continuation of the cadence rather than a new beginning.

Musical use

Closing motifs most often appear at the end of periods or movements, frequently with a crescendo and a slight forward push (stringendo) toward their own high point before the motion finally settles. They add weight to the ending without altering the measure or period structure.

The closing motif should be distinguished from an extension, which lengthens a phrase overall, for instance by repetition or insertion before the actual cadence, and from a codetta, a small appendage that reinforces a whole section or links it to the next, usually on a larger scale than a single motif. The closing motif is the most concise of the three: a single motivic figure attached directly to the cadence.

Performance practice

When practicing, listen closely to the moment of the cadence and beyond it: a closing motif should sound like an afterglow growing out of the ending, not like a new idea. Shape the crescendo and gentle push toward the motif's own high point deliberately, but let the motion clearly subside afterward so the sense of closure remains intact.