Cadenza

Paper Summary:

This paper describes a cadenza, which is a musical flourish that is usually improvised and placed in the final cadence of any section of an aria or a solo instrumental movement. It looks at the history of the cadenza and how different composers have used it over time. The paper particularly focuses on Mozart's use of cadenza in his compositions.

From the Paper:

"The way Mozart treated the credenza freed the composer to make direct use of the form while essentially leaving it to the performer to play it or not, though as time passed, it became more likely that the performer would perform the piece as written and follow the lead of the composer on this issue. As noted, the cadenza remained an important element in opera until after Verdi. Performers were often ranked according to their handling of the cadenza, as in a comparison of violinists Louis Spohr and Niccolo Paganini."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Burch, Gladys. Famous Violinists for Young People. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1946.
• Cheung, Vincent C.K. Mozart's Transformation of the Cadenza in the First Movements of His Piano Concertos. 1997. December 20, 2006. http://web.mit.edu/ckcheung/www/MusicalWritings_files/MozartCadenza_web_19971031.pdf..
• Farga, Franz. Violins and Violinists. London: Rockliff, 1940.
• Grout, Donald Jay and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001.
• Irving, John. Mozart's Piano Concertos. London: Ashgate Publishing, 2003.

More papers on Cadenza:

• Term Paper # 131400 : "The Cadenza in Music"

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