Definition
Some signs interrupt or suspend the regular flow of time:
- the fermata (hold): a semicircle with a dot, placed over a note, a rest or a bar line;
- the caesura: two oblique slashes (//) above the staff, also called “railroad tracks”;
- the breath mark: a small comma above the staff;
- the general pause (G.P.): total silence of the whole ensemble, written above a rest.
The fermata
- Over a note: the note is prolonged beyond its value, at the discretion of the performer or conductor (usually between one and a half and twice its length, but context matters).
- Over a rest: the silence is lengthened.
- Over a bar line: indicates a brief suspension between two sections or, in pieces with a da capo, the point at which to end (often together with the word Fine).
- In Lutheran chorales the fermata marks the end of each line: it does not always have to be held long; it mainly indicates the end of the phrase and the breath.
- In classical concertos a fermata on the cadential six-four chord indicates the point where the soloist inserts the cadenza; the cadenza usually ends with a trill on the dominant.
- In twentieth-century music there are short (triangular) and long (square) fermatas, and textual indications such as lunga or breve above the fermata.
Caesura and breath mark
- The caesura is a clean break in the sound: time stops for a moment and then restarts. It has no measured duration.
- The breath mark shows where to breathe (singers, wind players) or where to separate the phrase briefly (strings, piano). The tempo, in general, does not stop: the breath “steals” a small part of the preceding note.
General pause
The G.P. is a written silence with a precise value but a dramatic intention: the whole orchestra falls silent at once. Bruckner makes it a structural element of his symphonies, separating blocks of sound like the naves of a cathedral.
Practical rules
- The length of a fermata depends on the tempo: in an Adagio it can last many seconds, in a Presto little more than the written value.
- After a fermata you need a clear restart gesture: in an ensemble decide beforehand whether the restart happens “in tempo” or after a breath.
- In the DAW a fermata is realized with a tempo map (abrupt slowdown on that note) or with a bar of different length; not with a note simply stretched, otherwise the click and the grid go out of sync.
- In an orchestral part, write the fermata in all parts, even those that have a rest, otherwise someone restarts early.
Typical errors
- Treating the fermata as a fixed value (for example “always double”).
- Confusing caesura and breath mark: the caesura is a cut, the breath mark is a small separation.
- Forgetting to mark the fermata on the rests of the instruments that are silent.
Examples
- Beethoven, Symphony No. 5: the opening motif closes twice on a long note under a fermata, which suspends the discourse before setting it off again.
- Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3: the fermata over a rest signals the start of the cadenza, the fermata over the trill marks its close.
- Schubert, “Unfinished” Symphony, first movement: a sudden general pause interrupts the music before a new block.
- Happy Birthday: in communal singing the high note of the third phrase is almost always held as if it had a fermata.
- In pop, the stop before the last chorus (the whole band falls silent for a bar) is the modern equivalent of the general pause.
How to use it in composition
- A fermata on a dominant chord creates anticipation before the recapitulation or the finale.
- The general pause works like a “full stop and new paragraph”: use it to separate contrasting sections.
- A breath mark written into vocal parts helps singers and makes the phrasing clear.
Exercise
- Write a chorale of four phrases with a fermata at the end of each phrase and decide how long to hold each.
- In the DAW program a fermata with the tempo map and compare it with a note simply stretched.
- Insert a bar of general pause before the final chorus of one of your pieces and evaluate the effect.
Related topics
Agogics and tempo markings; Abbreviations, repeats and repeat signs; The Bach chorale; Solo concerto and ritornello form; Tempo map, rubato and tempo changes.