In a Bach chorale, how do I know which type of perfect cadence to use?

In Bach chorales, most perfect cadences will follow the same patterns so it's actually a lot less complicated than it first appears! Firstly, we will look at the most common progressions for a perfect cadence. We must look at the notes in the melody to determine which progression to use, the most common are 221 and 321. When we have decided which key we are in, look at the melody. Almost always, the melody notes will follow the pattern 221 or 321. So if we are in C major; DDC or EDC.
The two stock progressions for these are as follows*:321: Ic-V(7)-I221: II7b-V(7)-I*to fully explain this I would need to provide examples/diagrams.
These two stock progressions are found throughout Bach's chorales, and if you follow the formulae, you can't go wrong!

IB
Answered by Isabella B. Music tutor

5312 Views

See similar Music A Level tutors

Related Music A Level answers

All answers ▸

Identify FOUR features of Anton Webern's Op.22 Quartet Mvt.I that are typical of the early 20th Century style.


Highlight and explain the interest of an harmonic feature from the 2nd mvt. of Schubert's Piano Trio in Bb.


What do the various names for structure mean - Binary, Ternary, Sonata etc?


What's the difference between a dominant 7th, a diminished 7th and a major 7th chord?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning