Endings

Slowing down Melody with longer and longer note values Tempo slowing Replace shorter values with longer ones

Speeding up Melody with shorter and shorter note values Tempo accelerating Replace longer values with shorter ones

Hold on Hold a note or chord until unbearable

Dynamics Get louder and louder until... Get softer and softer until...

Repeat Repeat a note, chord, rhythm until...

Pitch Get higher and higher until.... Get lower and lower until....

Cadence Home base Strongest cadence so far

Coda New material of cadential merit

Completion Complete something that has so far been left incomplete Solve a question posed musically

Cyclic Palindrome Return to beginning After development, return to main theme unvaried for first time Cyclic form (not exact palindrome)

Reverse variation Theme parts presented first and then the theme itself only appears at the end.

Stretto Speed up contrapuntal entrances until they finally occur simultaneously Shorten theme until it cannot be shortened any more

Variation Vary a theme until it clearly becomes a new theme

Pedal tone. Held note under other cadential material

Orchestration Save full orchestra texture until the end. Conversely, orchestration to one lone player (Farewell Symphony, Haydn)

Focus Focus on a single note, chord, rhythm, or....

Fade away Yikes!

Harshest chord possible Yikes!

Allusion To the ending of another work.

Silence Just before the final cadence use silence and hold it to give the finality what it needs.

Whoops! No ending, no matter how effective in itself, will produce the desired effect if that which goes before it does not lead well to it. Endings in themselves are worthless.