Italian 'cadenza' (a falling), from Latin 'cadere' — the soloist delays the final 'fall' with a display of virtuosity.
A virtuosic solo passage in a concerto or other work, typically near the end of a movement, where the soloist plays without orchestral accompaniment, often with elaborate improvisation or display of technical skill.
From Italian 'cadenza' (cadence, a falling), from Latin 'cadentia' (a falling), from 'cadere' (to fall). The musical 'cadence' (a chord progression that brings a phrase to a close) is named for the 'falling' sensation of musical resolution. A 'cadenza' was originally an elaborate expansion of the final cadence of a movement — the soloist would delay the expected resolution with a display
A 'cadenza' is etymologically a 'fall' — from Latin 'cadere' (to fall). In music, a cadence is the 'falling' of a phrase to its resolution, and a cadenza is the virtuosic delay of that fall. The same root gave English some unexpectedly related words: 'case' (what has befallen — Latin 'cāsus,' a fall), 'accident' (a falling-upon), 'occasion' (a falling-toward), 'cascade' (a waterfall), 'decay' (a falling-away), 'deciduous' (falling-down, of leaves), and 'cadaver' (one who has fallen in death).