Cadentially

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Describing a musical phrase or passage that indicates a conclusion or pause, emphasizing the harmonic progression leading to a point of rest
2. Relating to a structural feature in music that signals the end of a phrase, often resolving tension to provide closure
3. Pertaining to the way in which musical elements come together to mark the end of a section, often creating a feeling of resolution and finality

Etymology: "Cadentially" is the adverb of "cadential," which describes a cadence, the chord progression that brings a musical phrase to a close. The noun "cadence" comes from Medieval Latin "cadentia," from Latin "cadere," meaning "to fall." The falling idea is literal in music: the melody or harmony tends to descend toward a resting point, much as a voice drops at the end of a sentence. The word "cadence" entered English in the sense of a falling of the voice or rhythmic fall in speech and verse, and musical use followed as composers and theorists needed a term for these closing gestures. Adding the suffix "-ial" gave "cadential," an adjective for anything relating to a cadence, and "-ly" then produced the adverb, so a passage can be described as ending cadentially.