Half cadence point
A resting point within a melody where a musical idea comes to a partial close before a new one begins.
What it means
The German term Absatz denotes a resting point within a melody where a musical idea reaches a certain degree of closure before a new section begins. The concept comes from older formal theory, which describes musical phrases by analogy with sentence grammar.
In that terminology, the Absatz counts as the shorter, less final break, while the close (or cadence) marks the complete conclusion of a musical period. The Absatz thus corresponds more to a comma or semicolon in sentence structure than to a full stop.
In the notation
An Absatz is not marked by a dedicated symbol in the score; it emerges from the musical flow itself, for instance through a longer note, a rest, an incomplete cadence, or a melodic turn that suggests rest without fully closing the idea. Phrase marks in notation often follow such breaks.
Musical use
In classical period theory, a musical period is typically divided into an antecedent and a consequent phrase, with the antecedent often ending in an Absatz on the dominant, while the consequent closes with a full cadence on the tonic. The Absatz creates a tension that demands resolution and thereby structures the formal shape of a theme or melody.
This division into Absatz and full close appears throughout the music of the Viennese Classical period and its successors, where clearly built periods with recognizable intermediate breaks form the formal backbone of many themes.
Performance practice
When studying a piece, first identify the points where an Absatz occurs, and mark them with a small but audible breath or phrasing gap without fully interrupting the musical flow. This makes the melody's internal structure clear to the listener and prepares the more final close that follows.