A cadenza is a virtuosic solo passage, typically found near the end of a movement in a concerto or other large-scale orchestral work. It allows the soloist to display their technical skill and musicality, often featuring rapid scales, arpeggios, and complex melodic lines. Historically, cadenzas were often improvised by the performer.
Famous examples of cadenzas can be found in many classical concertos. For instance, the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto features a renowned cadenza. Later composers, like Rachmaninoff in his Piano Concerto No. 3, wrote out their cadenzas in full, leaving less room for improvisation but ensuring the composer's vision was realized.
The cadenza originated in the Baroque era, where it was a brief, improvised flourish by the soloist at a point of harmonic suspension. During the Classical period, composers like Mozart and Beethoven began to write out or provide options for cadenzas, though improvisation remained common. By the Romantic era, cadenzas became longer, more complex, and were often fully composed by the original composer or a later virtuoso, becoming an integral part of the work's structure.
Listen to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major. Pay close attention around the 15-minute mark for the extended, unaccompanied solo section where the violinist showcases their technical prowess. This is the cadenza.