cadenza
noun /kəˈdenzə/
/kəˈdenzə/
- (music, from Italian) a short passage, usually near the end of a piece of classical music, that is played or sung by the soloist alone, and intended to show the performer’s skillTopics Musicc2
- (South African English) if somebody has a cadenza, they react suddenly and angrily to something, especially in a way that seems unreasonable or humorous
Word Originmid 18th cent.: from Italian, based on Latin cadere ‘to fall’.