How to Compose a Cadenza: A Guide

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I'm Robert Estrin with a question from a viewer. Evan asks, "How Do You Compose A Cadenza?" Cadenzas in concertos, solo pieces with orchestra typically, often have sections where the orchestra dramatically stops, and the soloist plays their cadenza. In many concertos, the cadenzas are written. Cadenzas are not just in concertos, they're also in solo pieces sometimes.
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[@LucaCozzi]

Dear Robert, this is a very nice video about Cadenzas and I think I've recently done exactly the things you are explaining now in my recent Piano Cover of Bella Ciao (here on TH-cam). Inspired by Liszt style, I wrote two cadenzas in that cover (one in the middle and one in the end) with huge octaves through all the keyboard and some arpeggios, they sound really difficult and explosive but I think they are easier than they look (as you say in the video)!

[@composerdavidgiannivaldez367]

I was writing a cadenza for my own solo piece, thank you so much for this!

[@drzirkle]

This is wonderful. Thanks!

[@sammcbride2149]

Wonderful video and advice. How about some tips for composing a sonatina?

[@curtpiazza1688]

I m new to this concept ...great starting info...thanx!

[@AlisaZholnina]

Very helpful thank you.

[@modernmozart813]

Excellent

[@evanmisejka4062]

My name's Evan, and I recently had this question.

[@evanever]

me too

[@Z0X777]

I have a question. If a solo piece i was playing had cadenza that was already written in, is it possible to make your own cadenza instead of the original cadenza, or is that uncommon?

[@harrison2590]

I would definitely say it’s uncommon however It’s definitely not bad, I think a lot of pianists don’t have the experience improvising a cadenza or have the experience writing complex piano music

[@ralphwang1434]

I’d certainly trying what’s already written first, and if I don’t like it, I’ll see if I can edit it to my liking before resorting to writing my own.

[@FulvioGa]

Beautiful piano, unfortunately you did not play it much in this video.

[@asylumofnightmares8250]

he already has a video on it! it’s of the Mason and Hamlin model A

[@attic1project776]

Any suggestion for musicians to rehearse together remotely? Skype or Zoom don’t cut it. The audio is terrible!

[@millennial8441]

At the end of baroque period and beginning of the galant style (transition to classical period), cadenzas were improvised because the soloists knew how to do it. As the time progressed but not the musicians whose gone for more and more dependence of the musical score, the output of cadenzas started to get horrible, tacky, petrified, ridiculous, and completely with no artistry. That is the reason composers hitted the celiing around the end of the 18th century and said "Stop this bullshit! From now on you'll have to play everything I write down on paper, ok?". As the time gone by musicians in the 19th-, 20th and 21st centuries don't how to create at the spot cadenzas for concertos whatever be the instrument. They don't even know to embellish stylistically a simple melody because they "respect" what the composer intended formerly for. I study baroque and galant music and the first thing my teacher said was "You HAVE TO know what baroque music is. So you can improvise a cadenza in romantic style if you don't know what are the specific features. That is the same thing for Vivaldi's, Bach's, Hotteterre's, DeLusse and so on."