cadential

Cadential is an adjective used in music theory to describe anything pertaining to a cadence, the harmonic event or progression that gives a sense of closure or stop within a phrase or section. In tonal music, cadences typically establish or reaffirm the key center, often through a progression that moves toward a dominant harmony before resolving to the tonic. Common cadential models include the authentic cadence (V to I), the half cadence (ending on V), and the plagal cadence (IV to I). The term emphasizes the functional goal of the harmony: to create a definite pause, emphasis, or emotional peak at the end of a musical unit.

A number of specific devices are described as cadential. The cadential six-four, for example, is a cadential sonority in which a I6/4 chord functions as a preparation for V, resolving to V and then typically to I, reinforcing the sense of arrival. Cadential extensions refer to prolonging the dominant function through suspensions, passing chords, or neighboring tones before the final resolution. While these ideas originate in Western tonal practice—especially Baroque, Classical, and Romantic music—the concept of cadential harmony is used more broadly to denote any ending gesture that functions like a cadence, even in non-tonal or contemporary styles. See also cadence.