English cadence (music)
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In conventional Western music theory, the English cadence is a musical device consisting of a distinctive form of approach to the authentic or perfect cadence. It was used primarily by the English composers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
In the example shown at right, note how the tenor line sounds the minor third of the chord (the seventh degree of the scale) simultaneously with the suspended fourth in the soprano, which then resolves to the major third on the final quarter. The editor in this example has helpfully put a courtesy accidental on the tenor's G natural, which wouldn't have been present in the original.
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[edit] Characteristics
The harmonic basis of the English cadence is the authentic cadence, which follows the chord progression V-I. The nature of the device is such that its use is impractical with fewer than three parts, and is uncommon in writing with fewer than four parts.
It is characterised by a falling melody in one or more parts, beginning on the flattened third of the penultimate dominant chord (V), and falling to the (usually natural) third of the tonic chord. Once this melody has fallen from the flattened third, one of the other parts usually sounds the natural third (or leading note), thereby creating a false relation between the flattened and natural thirds in different parts.
Where this musical device is used in music written in the minor key, it is common for it to be combined with a Picardy third, ensuring that the final tonic chord is major.
[edit] History and usage
The origins of this form of cadential approach are unclear. False relation was a common feature of English music of the sixteenth century. Its use at the cadence point, however, gives it a recognisable framework which composers were able to imitate and use to define their work as specifically English.
The English cadence was primarily used in choral music, and to a lesser extent in music for consorts of viols and other instruments.
Amongst the composers to use the English cadence were Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons. For instance, the anthem "Hosanna to the Son of David" by Gibbons contains three distinct examples of the device in just 66 bars.
The device fell out of use in the early part of the seventeenth century. This was due partly to the decline of music and composition in England, and also to the development of generally accepted rules of harmony in which the false relation was no longer acceptable.
In the twentieth century, several composers used the English cadence for various effects, either in homage to earlier works or for humorous purposes.
[edit] Modern reception
Many works containing the English cadence are still performed regularly today. This is particularly true of choral music. Despite this, many (predominantly English) musicians consider the device humorous owing to the false relation which sounds unusual to the modern ear, being against the generally accepted rules of harmony. Several composers of the twentieth century have used the device in an effort to introduce humour to their work. Also, it is a common in-joke among church choirs to insert spurious English cadences into any piece containing a suitable perfect cadence, especially hymns.
