Plagal

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Plagal \Pla"gal\ (pl[=a]"gal), a. [F., from Gr. pla`gios
     sidewise, slanting.] (Mus.)
     Having a scale running from the dominant to its octave; --
     said of certain old church modes or tunes, as opposed to
     those called {authentic}, which ran from the tonic to its
     octave.


     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Plagal cadence}, a cadence in which the final chord on the
        tonic is preceded by the chord on the subdominant.
        [1913 Webster]