[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP] The first phrase ends on chord V. The second phrase ends with chord V moving to chord I. (a) Name the ...
Question 1 Report
[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP]
The first phrase ends on chord V. The second phrase ends with chord V moving to chord I.
(a) Name the cadence at the end of the first phrase. [1]
(b) Explain why the second cadence creates a stronger sense of conclusion. [1]
[Total: 2 marks]
Answer Details
(a) A cadence that ends on chord V is an imperfect cadence. [1] The imperfect cadence can involve several chord progressions (I-V, ii-V, IV-V, or vi-V), but the defining feature is that it ends on the dominant chord. This creates an open, unfinished quality, as if the music is pausing or asking a question.
(b) The second cadence (V-I, a perfect cadence) creates a stronger sense of conclusion because it resolves the harmonic tension by returning to the tonic chord. [1] The dominant chord (V) contains the leading note of the key, which has a strong tendency to resolve upward to the tonic. When the harmony moves from V to I, this resolution provides a definitive sense of arrival and finality. By contrast, the imperfect cadence leaves the music on the dominant, which sounds unresolved and expectant. The perfect cadence functions like a full stop in language, while the imperfect cadence functions like a comma.
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