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A cadence moving from subdominant to tonic (IV–I). Often called the "Amen" cadence.
The plagal cadence is gentler and more restful than the authentic cadence. Use it after an authentic cadence for a final benediction, or as a warm confirmation of the tonic. It is the standard ending for hymns.
Handel, Messiah, “Hallelujah” chorus: after a silence, the final “Hallelujah” moves from the subdominant chord to the tonic in D major — a plagal cadence as the chorus’s last word.
Plagal cadence is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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