The Classical Concerto First-Movement Cadenza

The cadenza is one hallmark of the classical concerto first movement that emerged from conventions formed and consolidated around the mid-eighteenth century.In this article I suggest that the classical cadenza is better viewed not as a homogenous musical phenomenon but rather as a wide range of musical possibilities.I show how the growing adoption of sonata-form conventions into concerto movements propelled the growth of the cadenza and, in return, how the cadenza prompted some changes in the formal whole, particularly the inclusion of substantial orchestral preparation for the cadenzas.From a theoretical-analytical standpoint, these findings call for a rethinking of Caplin's description of Classical concerto form with respect to the cadenza.I also discuss how longer and more elaborate cadenzas in late-eighteenth-century concertos abandon their traditional cadence-embellishing role.This prompted a changed conventional conception of the cadenza, eventually leading to its decline and disappearance in its Classical sense.