cadenza means A part of a piece of music, such as a concerto, that is very decorative and is played by a single musician.
cadenza is pronounced /kəˈdɛnzə/.
Why “cadenza” is a great word
A virtuosic, often improvised or written-out ornamental solo passage inserted near the close of a piece of music, typically in a concerto. Borrowed in the 18th century from Italian cadenza ("conclusion, cadence"), from Latin cadentia ("a falling"), from cadere ("to fall"). Unlike a "cadence" (which is the structural, harmonic resolution itself) or a generic "solo" (which may occur anywhere without the requisite flourish and placement), a cadenza is the sanctioned rebellion within the form—the moment the architecture pauses and the individual voice ascends. It is the violinist’s fingers scattering like sparks, the pianist’s cascade of notes glittering in the hall’s silent expectancy, the breath held before the orchestra’s final, resolving crash—a fleeting, brilliant argument that falling is itself a kind of flight.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian cadenza, from Latin cadentia. Doublet of cadence and chance.
noun
- A part of a piece of music, such as a concerto, that is very decorative and is played by a single musician.“Yes, laugh, as I want to laugh for instance in the concert hall when the orchestra trundles to a stop and the virtuoso at his piano, hunched like a demented vet before the bared teeth of this enormous black beast of sound, lifts up deliquescent hands and prepares to plunge into the cadenza.”
verb
- To become agitated or excited.
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