Questions: Cadence Identification by Ear

Question 1

You hear a phrase end with the harmony moving from the dominant chord to a minor chord — not the tonic you expected. What cadence did you hear?

• A. Authentic cadence — the dominant resolved, so it counts as an authentic ending
• B. Plagal cadence — the final chord is minor and gentle
• C. Deceptive cadence — the expected V → I resolution was withheld and replaced by V → vi
• D. Half cadence — the phrase ended on an unstable chord

Answer: (C)

The deceptive cadence moves V → vi rather than the expected V → I. The ear has been conditioned to expect tonic resolution after dominant, so the submediant (vi) arrives as a surprise — the tension does partially resolve, but to an unexpected destination. The phrase 'ends' in the sense that the melody rests, but harmonic resolution is withheld. Once you internalize authentic cadences, the deceptive cadence's 'trick' becomes immediately audible.

Question 2

When listening for cadences in a phrase of music, the most useful strategy is to track every chord change from beginning to end.

• A. Yes — hearing every chord change is necessary to identify the cadence type accurately
• B. No — focus on phrase endings: where does the melody rest, and what is the harmonic character at that moment?
• C. Yes — all cadences occur at the start of phrases, so listening from the beginning is essential
• D. No — cadence type is best determined by counting beats and meter, not harmonic quality

Answer: (B)

Cadences are phrase-ending events, so the most efficient strategy is to identify where phrases breathe or rest, then focus on the harmonic character at those moments. The perceptual questions are: did the harmony arrive at tonic (authentic or plagal) or dominant (half)? If tonic, was the arrival expected (authentic/plagal) or surprising (deceptive)? Tracking every chord throughout the phrase can cause you to lose the structural arc; endpoint-focused listening is both more trainable and more diagnostically useful.

Question 3

A half cadence sounds complete and restful because it ends on the dominant chord, which is harmonically stable.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

The dominant chord is harmonically unstable in tonal music — it generates tension and expectation of resolution to tonic, not a sense of rest. A half cadence ends on V precisely because of this instability: the phrase closes on a chord that demands continuation. It sounds like a musical question mark or a breath before the next phrase. This 'open' quality is the defining feature of the half cadence, in contrast to the authentic cadence which resolves that tension.

Question 4

A perfect authentic cadence feels more final than a plagal cadence because the dominant chord carries greater harmonic tension before resolving.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

The authentic cadence (V → I) achieves finality through genuine tension release: the dominant chord contains the leading tone (scale degree 7) which pulls strongly upward to the tonic (scale degree 1), and the bass movement of a descending fifth is highly conclusive. The plagal cadence (IV → I) is gentler — the subdominant has less inherent tension, and the resolution feels more like an embrace or affirmation than a decisive arrival. This is why 'Amen' endings in hymns typically use the plagal cadence.

Question 5

Why is the deceptive cadence called 'deceptive'? What exactly does it deceive the listener about, and what musical effect does this create?

Model answer: It is called deceptive because it sets up the expectation of an authentic cadence (V → I) and resolves instead to vi. After hearing repeated V → I progressions, the ear anticipates tonic resolution whenever it hears the dominant. When vi arrives instead, the listener is momentarily surprised — resolution is real but misdirected. The effect is a sense of irony, continuation, or delayed closure. Composers use it to extend phrases, add emotional complexity, or withhold the final cadential arrival, making the eventual authentic cadence feel more earned.

Understanding the deceptive cadence requires first internalizing authentic cadences — the 'trick' only works because your ear has been trained to expect the outcome it doesn't get. This is why cadence identification ear training proceeds in order: authentic first, then the variations that play against that expectation.