Final cadence
The concluding close of a movement or piece in the home key.
What it means
The final cadence is the concluding cadence of a movement or piece in the home key. It brings the music to its definitive point of rest and confirms once more the key in which the work began and ended.
Musical use
In tonal music the final cadence is usually designed as a perfect authentic cadence, that is, as a progression of dominant to tonic, often in root position with the tonic in the melody. It is frequently reinforced by preparation, such as a subdominant, a cadential six-four chord, or an extended closing gesture in the coda. In movements with several sections it differs from cadences that only form interim closes.
The final cadence should be distinguished from the internal cadence, which ends a section within a piece, and from the half cadence or deceptive cadence, which keep the movement open. In the special case of the cadenza in a concerto, “cadenza” usually means the soloist's improvisation, not the harmonic close.
Performance practice
Shape the final cadence calmly and deliberately: prepare the close by easing the tempo slightly, let the dominant stand with tension, and place the tonic clearly and released. In an ensemble, listen to each other so that the last chord sounds together and balanced.