• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Breaking Barlines

Online Music Theory Lessons: Turn Sound Into Skill

  • Home
  • Teaching Samples
  • Music Theory Lessons
  • Blog
  • About Aron Bernstein
  • FAQ
  • Membership Account
    • Log In
    • Your Profile
    • Membership Billing
    • Membership Cancel

June 14, 2021 By Aron Bernstein 8 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 6/14/21

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

This is from J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. What type of cadence is highlighted in red?

Listen to the Audio

ANSWER for 6/7/21

This is a Phrygian Cadence, or Phrygian Half Cadence. Most often seen in minor keys, we go from a iv chord in first inversion to V (Gm/Bb to A). Notice that the bass drops down a half-step, which is reminiscent of the first two notes in the Phrygian mode (hence the cadence’s name).

Want to Learn More?

You can brush up on your cadences with all new lessons in the Diatonic Harmony Course!  Sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. Also, this year I’ll be adding new lessons on modes. I created Breaking Barlines with one thing in mind: making music theory effective and FUN!

Spread the love

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: bach, breakingbarlines, cadence, chords, classicalmusic, harmony, music, musiceducation, musiclessons, musictheory, musicvideo, popmusic

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Smash_Factor says

    June 14, 2021 at 11:16 am

    It’s a bit tricky, but I believe it’s a Plagal Cadence.

    The first part in red is telling us something with the C#, but we need more information.

    The second part in red also has the C#, but in the bass clef there’s two Bb’s and a D in the treble clef. So that’s clearly the IV chord: Bb Maj. This is pointing to the Plagal Cadence. Notice that we never actually see the V chord anywhere.

    We then end in the bass clef with A and E. Combine that with the C# up top and we have A Maj. This is more or less a substitution for the tonic.

    Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      June 14, 2021 at 12:48 pm

      Thank you for taking the weekly challenge! Actually, in both red sections we have the complete iv and V chords. Careful on the second red section: the first chord is G minor, not Bb major. I think you might have believed this passage was in F major, but it’s D minor. Good effort, but this isn’t a plagal cadence. The plagal cadence is iv–i. This cadence ends on V, and it’s approached by iv6. It’s a type of half cadence, and there’s a special name for it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Doug says

    June 15, 2021 at 9:13 am

    Phrygian half cadence

    Reply
    • Travis says

      June 16, 2021 at 10:31 am

      I agree

      Reply
      • Aron Bernstein says

        June 18, 2021 at 8:15 am

        A wise choice, my master!

        Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      June 18, 2021 at 8:16 am

      Jackpot! Well done; you can also simply call it the Phrygian Cadence.

      Reply
  3. Charles Birkby says

    June 16, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    Half cadence: iv to V in D minor.

    Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      June 18, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Correct! And Phrygian was his name-O!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact Breaking Barlines

  • Tell us about yourself. What is your experience level in music? What would you like to see in an online music theory course? Your input will become future video lessons.

Copyright © 2023 Breaking Barlines · WordPress Website by Waterlink Web