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A Lydian cadence is a type of half cadence that was popular in the Ars nova style of the 14th and early 15th century. It is so-called because it evokes the Lydian mode based on its final chord as a tonic, and may be construed with the chord symbols VII♯6
3-I (if the final is taken as a Lydian-mode tonic) or III6
3-IV (if the final is taken as a in major). It is also the most common type of double-leading-tone cadence, as it contains two leading-tone resolutions (♯
-
and
-
). A frequently-used type of Landini cadence is based on the Lydian cadence, with the upper voice dropping to
before skipping back up to the tonic.