Plagal Cadence
a type of harmonic cadence in which the final tonic chord is preceded by the subdominant (for example, 
The plagal cadence is the opposite of the principal type, the perfect (authentic) cadence, in which the progression is from the dominant to the tonic. Compared with the perfect cadence, it is gentler, less dynamic, and less intense. Because it is frequently encountered at the end of Renaissance polyphonic compositions, the plagal cadence is also called the church cadence. The plagal cadence is used in Russian music, especially folk music, with its typical IV-I ending. An example of the plagal quality of Russian music is Sadko’s song “Oh, Dark Little Leafy Grove,” from the second scene of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Sadko.
REFERENCE
Trambitskii, V. N. “Plagal’nost’ i rodstvennye ei sviazi v russkoi pesen-noi garmonii.” In the collection Voprosy muzykoznaniia, fasc. 2. Moscow, 1955.Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
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