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The Cadential 6/4 Dr. Justin Henry Rubin 2005

The I chord in any key only functions as the tonic in root position and first

inversion. In second inversion it no loner acts as the tonic in the !ay that !e

perceive its sonority. Therefore it is a "isno"er to describe a chord that appears to

be the tonic but not sound or function as such as a I #$% &althouh "any older "usic

theory "ethodoloies allo! for this "isleadin analytical label'. Instead( this

particular chord is bound to its resolution to the do"inant and cannot be used

independently. )ince it is not *uite a tonic chord &althouh it has all of the notes of

the I' nor a do"inant( !e label it as a +adential #$% &analytical notation, +ad #$% or +

#$%' as it is used pri"arily at the cadence point and functions as ater"inal pre-

do"inant &"eanin that it nor"ally proresses to the do"inant'.

. Dispellin the /isconception. It is i"portant for the student "usician to

re"e"ber that the notation of chord analysis is a "eans to illustrate ho! the

sonorities are bein used by the co"poser to develop a sense of har"onic

proression. ith this in "ind( a I chord can only be labeled as such if it functions as

a tonic( !hich it clearly does not in second inversion. 1isten to the follo!in ea"ple

and note ho! the "usic does not co"e to rest at the so-called 3I #$%3 but "aintains a

sinificant deree of tension.

2. Resolution of the Do"inant. +o"pare the previous ea"ple to the follo!in

passae, it is identical until the tonic chord arrives in root position. 4ote that the

tension of the do"inant is co"pletely released.

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. The +adential #$% and its Resolution. 6efore any do"inant chord( a co"poser can

insert a cadential #$% to increase the tension as the end of the phrase approaches.

The proper cadential #$% chord features t!o do"inant pitches( one !hich "ust be inthe bass voice &to facilitate co"prehension of this concept( the chords in the

ea"ple belo! feature a si"ple voicin'. 7s !ell( the tonic pitch and

the "ediant "ust occur in the re"ainin voices. The bass voice "aintains the

do"inant pitch in the resultin 8 chord &the other do"inant can as !ell re"ain on the

sa"e pitch or descend to the seventh of the 89 chord( dependin on the desired

version of the do"inant chord resolution'( !hile the tonic descends to the leadin

tone and the "ediant descends to the supertonic.

:ne alternate to the second ea"ple is to reverse the resolutions of the voices

articulatin the doubled do"inant &in this illustration( the bass "ove fro" ; to < and

the tenor fro" ; to ;'. This results in the 89 beco"in a 82 &or third inversion

do"inant seventh chord'( and thus an eventual resolution to a first inversion tonic

&I#'.

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%. The +adential #$% in +ontet. Here !e have interated the cadential #$% into the

passae fro" ea"ple 2. above. 4ote that its place"ent after the ii #$5 substantially

increases the har"onic force leadin to the do"inant seventh as !e no! have t!o

ter"inal pre-do"inant chords occurrin successively. The doubled do"inant in

the +ad #$% is split bet!een the bass and alto( !hile the tenor articulates the tonic

and the soprano the "ediant. )i"ilarly to any other chord( non-har"onic tones can

be applied to the cadential #$%.