Through analysis of Jerome Moross’s subtonic-saturated scores and subsequent adapted, abstracted, and parodic usages, I show the value of the cadential-generic approach to style-based analysis. The subtonic half cadence is strongly linked with a specific film genre: the Western. Phrasal mickey mousing arises through deft cadential synchronization, as shown in an analysis of Korngold’s Robin Hood. The mixed plagal cadence imports transcendent harmonic associations from the Romantic era.
In this article, I showcase four such cadential genres. Through processes of attribute substitution and subtraction, a cadential genre can adapt to shifting scoring practices and generic expectations. Drawing from theories of film genre and cadential definition from Altman (1999) and Caplin (2002), I explore several cinematically significant “cadential genres”-harmonic routines arising through the convergence of several independent musical phenomena that together projecting a punctuative function. The structure and placement of a cadence can shape the emotional arc of a scene, accentuate narratival information, and manipulate generic expectations. ""Cadences are one of the most powerful tools at a film composer’s disposal.
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