Definition
The half cadence (or suspended cadence) is a cadence that ends on the dominant chord. It closes a phrase but leaves the music hanging, like a comma or a question mark. The Phrygian cadence is a particular type of half cadence in a minor key, with a descending half-step bass motion that recalls the Phrygian mode.
The half cadence
- Any chord can precede it: I–V, ii6–V, IV–V, vi–V, V/V–V, I6/4–V.
- The final chord is a dominant triad in root position (not a V7: the seventh would ask to resolve immediately).
- It arrives on a strong beat and usually lasts longer, to give the sense of arrival.
- It is the typical ending of the antecedent of a period: the consequent answers with a perfect cadence.
Variants of the half cadence
| Variant | In C major | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | I – V | light |
| With predominant | ii6 – V, IV – V | stronger |
| With secondary dominant | D7 – G (V/V – V) | creates a more intense expectation |
| With augmented sixth | Ab–C–F# – G | dramatic, chromatic |
The Phrygian cadence
- In a minor key: iv6 – V. In A minor: Dm/F – E.
- The bass falls a half step from the sixth to the fifth degree (F → E).
- The soprano rises a whole step from the fourth to the fifth degree (D → E): the outer voices move in contrary motion from the sixth to the octave.
- The name comes from the Phrygian mode, in which the final cadence has precisely a descending half step toward the finalis (F → E).
- In the Baroque it often closes a slow movement before a fast movement: the final V becomes the starting point of the following piece.
Practical rules
- Do not use the V7 in the half cadence: use the triad.
- In the Phrygian, double the bass or the root of the iv; the third of the V (the leading tone) must not be doubled.
- In a period, the half cadence at the end of the antecedent must be clearly less conclusive than the cadence that closes the consequent.
Common mistakes
- Confusing a half cadence with a perfect cadence in the key of the dominant: if there is a modulation (the V becomes tonic with its own dominant), the cadence is perfect in the new key.
- Overloading the final V with seventh and ninth, taking away its quality of “pause.”
- In the Phrygian, making the bass rise instead of fall.
Examples
- Beethoven, “Ode to Joy”: the first phrase closes on D (over the V), a half cadence; the second, identical at the start, closes on C with a perfect cadence.
- Bach, Brandenburg Concerto no. 3: the middle movement consists of a single bar with two chords, a Phrygian cadence linking the two fast movements.
- Corelli and Vivaldi: many slow movements in minor end with a Phrygian cadence.
- Pop: the “stop” on the dominant before the chorus (the whole band halting on the V) is a half cadence that creates anticipation.
How to use it in composition
- Use the half cadence at the end of the verse or pre-chorus to launch the chorus.
- The Phrygian cadence is an archaic and solemn color: useful in sacred music, in film scores with an ancient setting, in flamenco (where the F–E descent in A minor is characteristic).
- Alternate half cadences and perfect cadences to build clear periods.
Exercise
- Write an 8-bar period in G major: antecedent with half cadence ii6–V, consequent with perfect cadence.
- Write a Phrygian cadence in D minor in four voices.
- Find three songs in which the pre-chorus ends on the V.
Connections
Cadences; Perfect and imperfect authentic cadence; The period: antecedent and consequent; Phrygian mode; Andalusian cadence; Augmented sixth chords.