Introductions, endings and titles

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression… and that listeners remember the ending most of all. In between, your piece may be gorgeous: but if it starts cold and stops dead, it will feel unfinished. This lesson gives you tried-and-tested recipes to “open the door” and “close the door” gracefully, and then to dress your piece with a title and expression markings that guide the performer.

The introduction: setting up a world

An introduction has three jobs: establish the key, set the tempo and character, and create expectation. The most common solutions:

• The vamp: the accompaniment alone for two or four bars, like a carpet rolled out before the melody enters. This is the solution of songs, nocturnes and film music.
• Previewing the motif: you let the head of the theme be heard (often in the bass, or in long notes) so the ear recognises it later.
• Dominant pedal: a G held or repeated in the bass (in C) creates a tension that “calls for” the theme to begin on the tonic.
• The slow introduction: a few solemn chords before an Allegro, in the manner of Haydn.

Here is a vamp: two bars of eighth-note accompaniment (C, A minor), then the melody enters over the same loop. Pianist and listener have had time to “settle in”.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=80
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "C" z8 | "Am" z8 | "C" e3 d c2 G2 | "Am" A6 z2 |]
[V:LH] C,G,CG, C,G,CG, | A,,E,A,E, A,,E,A,E, | C,G,CG, C,G,CG, | A,,E,A,E, A,,E,A,E, |]

The ending: extend, delay, surprise

A perfect cadence (V–I) is enough to end a phrase, but rarely a whole piece: the ending must weigh more than the cadences along the way. A few techniques:

1. The cadence avoided, then achieved. You lead up to the final cadence… and instead of I you land on vi (A minor): that’s the deceptive cadence. You then repeat the phrase and this time you conclude. This “false start” makes the real ending far more satisfying.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=76
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "F" c2 A2 "G7" B2 d2 | "Am" c8 | "F" c2 A2 "G7" B2 d2 | "C" c8 |]
[V:LH] [F,,F,]4 [G,,G,]4 | [A,,A,]8 | [F,,F,]4 [G,,G,]4 | [C,,C,]8 |]

2. The plagal cadence, or “amen”. After the perfect cadence you add IV–I: a soothing afterglow, like an echo. It’s the ending of hymns and of many ballads.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=60
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "F" [Acf]4 [Acf]4 | "C" [Gce]8 |]
[V:LH] [F,,F,]8 | [C,,C,]8 |]

3. The Picardy third. A piece in minor that ends on a major chord: the expected C♮ becomes C♯ in A minor. Bach uses it constantly; the effect is luminous, like the sun breaking through at the very end.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=60
K:Am
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "Dm/F" d2 c2 "E7/G#" B4 | "A" [A^ce]8 |]
[V:LH] [F,A,]4 [^G,D]4 | [A,,E,A,]8 |]

4. The echo coda. You recall the motif one last time, softer and higher, like a memory — then a held chord with a fermata. Add a ritardando to let time breathe.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=72
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] !p! C D E C G4 | "^rit." !pp! c d e c g4 | !fermata![CEGc]8 |]
[V:LH] [C,G,]8 | [C,G,]8 | !fermata![C,,C,]8 |]

Other possible endings: the tag (repeating the last bars two or three times), the fade-out (the loop repeats while dying away, typical of pop), or the open ending (an unresolved chord, a question left hanging — keep it for pieces where that is the very point).

Titles and character

A title isn’t a label: it is the first performance direction. Schumann gave the pieces of his Album for the Young evocative titles (“The Wild Horseman”, “The Happy Farmer”); Satie had fun with absurd titles; Chopin preferred genre titles (Nocturne, Mazurka, Prelude). Three families are open to you:

• Genre: Waltz, Lullaby, Study, Nocturne… The listener knows what to expect.
• Image: “Autumn Rain”, “The Lighthouse” — the title steers the imagination.
• The wink: an offbeat title that adds a touch of humour or mystery.

Tempo and expression markings

A score without markings is a recipe without oven temperatures. At the very least, indicate: the tempo (metronome mark and word: Andante, Allegretto…), dynamics (p, mf, f, crescendos), tempo changes (rit., a tempo) and character (dolce, cantabile, con moto, misterioso). You may write in Italian, the traditional language, or in your own language, as Debussy and Satie did in French (“Doux et triste”, “Très lent”).

Your workshop

1. Take an eight- or sixteen-bar piece you have written (for example in the lesson your first melody).
2. In the piano roll, add a two- or four-bar introduction using one of three techniques: vamp, motif preview or dominant pedal.
3. Write three different endings: deceptive then perfect cadence, plagal “amen” cadence, echo coda (or a Picardy third if your piece is in minor). Listen and keep the best one.
4. Copy the final version into the ABC editor with a title (T:), a tempo (Q:), at least two dynamics and a rit.
5. Come up with three possible titles, one per family (genre, image, wink), and choose the one that best matches the character.
6. Self-check: if you play only the introduction, can someone guess the character of the piece? If you play only the last four bars, does it feel like “the end”?