The Marvin Duchow Music Library and William Caplin, Distinguished James McGill Professor Emeritus, invite you to a book launch celebrating his new publication, Cadence: A Study of Closure in Tonal Music (Oxford University Press, 2024). 

Cadence is a comprehensive examination of how formal units in European art music of the tonal era achieve closure. Rooted in Caplin's broader “theory of formal functions,” the book develops concepts of cadence for music of the high classical style and then extends these ideas to gauge cadential practice in earlier and later style periods. Throughout the study, various manifestations of cadence are defined in terms of their harmonic-melodic morphology as well as their formal function. The book introduces a host of theoretical concepts illustrated by more than seven hundred musical examples, all of which contain extensive analytical annotations of harmony, melody, cadence, and form. For more information, see the publisher's website.

Please join us in launching the publication of Cadence: A Study of Closure in Tonal Music. Bill will speak about his new book and copies will be available for purchase at a discounted price.

Marvin Duchow Music Library
Elizabeth Wirth Music Building
527 Sherbrooke Street West, 3rd floor