plagal cadence
A harmonic progression from the subdominant chord (IV) to the tonic chord (I), often called the "Amen cadence."
In Depth
The plagal cadence moves from the IV chord to the I chord, creating a softer, more restful sense of closure than the authentic cadence. Because the bass moves up a fifth (or down a fourth) from the subdominant to the tonic — the reverse direction of an authentic cadence — it lacks the powerful leading-tone pull and feels more like a gentle settling than a decisive arrival. Its nickname, the "Amen cadence," comes from its ubiquitous use at the end of hymns, where congregations sing "A-men" over a IV–I progression. Beyond sacred music, the plagal cadence is fundamental to blues, rock, and pop music, where the IV–I motion is one of the most common harmonic gestures. The Beatles used plagal cadences extensively, and the progression underlies countless pop songs from the 1960s to the present.
The plagal cadence gets its name from the plagal modes of medieval music, where melodies moved primarily below the final (tonic) note rather than above it.