Deceptive or interrupted cadences ................................................
A deceptive cadence, or interrupted cadence, essentially reaches an ultimate
point of tension on a V/v chord, just like the authentic cadence, but it
resolves to something other than the tonic (I/i) chord — hence, the name
deceptive. The most common deceptive cadence out there, used 99 times out
of 100, is the V/v chord that moves up to a VI/vi chord. The phrase looks and
feels like it’s about to end and close with the 1 chord, but instead it moves up
to the 6 instead, as shown in Figure 10-22.Other deceptive/interrupted cadences include moving from the V chord
to the IV chord, the V chord to the ii chord, and the V chord to the V7.
Deceptive cadences are considered one of the weakest cadences because
they invoke a feeling of incompleteness.Half-cadences ......................................................................................
Half-cadences are a little more confusing. The authentic, plagal, and decep-
tive cadences all occur in musical phrases that resolve before the phrase is
complete. In other words, with the other cadences the phrase starts at a
point of rest (I/i) and moves through a series of chords to reach either a iv/IV
or a v/V chord. It could be as easy as the I/i chord going straight to the V/v
chord and back to the I/i, or it could spend 20 hours circling like a plane in a
holding pattern between those points, but authentic, plagal, and deceptive
will all musically release to the point of rest: the I/i chord.&
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c
w
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Figure 10-22:
Deceptive
cadences
are nice to
use when
you want to
fake the
audience
out.116 Part III: Harmony and Structure