Symphonic composition is almost synonymous with cadential structure. The various manifestations of symphonic form - the piano sonata, the string quartet, the concerto, the overture, and the symphony - evolved (almost entirely) in synch with the evolution of cadential structure. Once composers abandoned cadential structure, the viability of these forms suffered. In fact, starting near the beginning of the twentieth centure, the entire social and economic, as well as esthetic, foundation of European classical music has declined. This, by no coincidence, is simultaneous with the decline of European power.
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