Definitions for plagalˈpleɪ gəl
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
pla•gal*ˈpleɪ gəl(adj.)
(of a church mode) having the final in the middle of the compass.
Category: Music and Dance
Ref: Compare authentic (def. 4a). 5 1
(of a cadence) progressing from the subdominant to the tonic chord.
Category: Music and Dance
Ref: Compare authentic (def. 4b) 5 2
* Music..
Origin of plagal:
1590–1600; < ML plagālis=plag(a) plagal mode (appar. back formation from plagius plagal; see plage ) + L -ālis -al1
Wiktionary
plagal(Adjective)
Designating a mode lying a perfect fourth below the authentic form.
plagal(Adjective)
Designating a cadence in which the subdominant chord precedes the tonic.
Origin: From plagalis, from plaga, from plagius, from Byzantine Greek ‘plagal’, ‘oblique’.
Webster Dictionary
Plagal(adj)
having a scale running from the dominant to its octave; -- said of certain old church modes or tunes, as opposed to those called authentic, which ran from the tonic to its octave
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"plagal." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2013. Web. 18 May 2013. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/plagal>.