cadenza

American  

[kuh-den-zuh] / kəˈdɛn zə /

noun

Music.

1. an elaborate flourish or showy solo passage, sometimes improvised, introduced near the end of an aria or a movement of a concerto.

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cadenza British  

/ kəˈdɛnzə /

noun

1. a virtuoso solo passage occurring near the end of a piece of music, formerly improvised by the soloist but now usually specially composed

2. informal a fit or convulsion

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Etymology

Origin of cadenza

1745–55; < Italian < Vulgar Latin *cadentia a falling, equivalent to Latin cad ( ere ) to fall + -entia -ency; cf. chance

Explanation

A cadenza is a solo that’s part of a larger piece of music such as a concerto. It takes great skill to play a cadenza. Have you ever been to a rock concert and heard the guitarist or drummer do a solo? A cadenza is kind of like that, except it’s part of the classical-music tradition. Cadenzas are for virtuosos: extremely talented, expert players of their instruments. Often, a cadenza comes near the end of a piece, and the cadenza should be an exciting, powerful climax. Like many musical terms, it's on permanent loan from Italian; cadence is the closest word in modern English.

Example Sentences

Some thought she went too far, especially in the wild closing cadenza she composed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

This time, Leila Josefowicz was the ferocious soloist, crafting her own explosive cadenza.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

This brooding, 25-minute piece begins with a passionate violin cadenza, played like the rest of the concerto with heated commitment from Stewart, and then evolves frequently, without defined section breaks.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024

But it wasn’t a one-to-one transfer; many sections were heavily changed, and she also added a cadenza.

From New York Times • May 24, 2023

I had begged him to compose a cadenza for me, but he directed me to write one myself.

From Beethoven: A Memoir (2nd Ed.) by Graeme, Elliott