# Do you have a favourite cadence?



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

One that you feel is so effective and sums up the wonder of a piece so eloquently and succinctly. A cadence only a great composer could compose. My first thoughts are with Bach's Picardy thirds that our numerous across his minor key works. But my favourite is the reverse of a Picardy third and it concludes the 1st movement of Alkan's Symphony for Piano Etude No 4 Op. 39. You feel as though the piece is going to finish in C major but he just solemnly drops that single chromatic semitone to ominously end on C minor. To me that is a work of genius because it is so subtle. I do though regard Alkan as one of the finest composers for piano in the 19th 2nd after Beethoven.  1st mov ends at 10 mins


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