What chord progression makes a perfect authentic candence?

Answer 1

There are a number of things that make a cadence an "authentic" cadence.

The first thing to understand is what a cadence is. The non-musical use of the of the word means 'modulation or inflection of the voice'. As the cadence of the speaking voice gives us information, (Is this a statement? A question? A command?) a cadence in music gives us information that something has ended, or something sounding final has occurred.

In Western music, derived from classical music in the Western European tradition, this means what is seen in the progression of a V-I chord. Strictly speaking, from the baroque tradition, the 7th in the scale must resolve (move) to the first note of the scale in the melody (top or most important line). This is what makes a cadence authentic.

Music has evolved a lot since the Baroque era, so the concept of what makes something sound 'final' has changed a lot! But understanding how chords work in traditional, scale-based, music theory is the beginning to a wide world of melodic and harmonic expression.

Answer 2

I believe the perfect authentic cadence is one in which any chord progression ends with a V (or V7)chord followed by a I chord. Usually, the cadence ending with the tonic note being voiced in the soprano voice is the most aurally pleasing, it is not paramount to obtaining the perfect authentic cadence.

Answer 3

The chord progression I-V-I with the tonic note in the soprano makes a perfect authentic cadence.