Cadenza for the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 G major by Johann Sebastian Bach

Improvised and also composed solo cadenzas, normally occurring towards the end of a bravura aria or an instrumental concerto movement, have existed since the late 16th century. They provide the performer with an opportunity for self-presentation in the form of a free style of playing or singing, based on themes and motifs from previous sections of the movement. Solo cadenzas are for the most part introduced by a six-four chord held by the orchestra; the soloist then begins a protracting interpolation in free style, subsequently culminating on the dominant chord, usually with a trill. Whereas originally composers left solo cadenzas to be freely improvised, from the middle of the 19th century onwards they were frequently specifically written out. The increasing abuse of cadenzas as a mere display of free virtuosity, ignoring the style and impetus of the composition, played a substantial factor in this development. Thus Beethoven gives the soloist no opportunity whatsoever for free improvisation in his 5th piano concerto in which the cadenza becomes an integral, obligatory component of the complete work. In this unique series Schott Music presents cadenzas created for well-known instrumental concertos from the Classical and Romantic periods by major composers and soloists of our time.