fermata

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemusic

   A symbol in written music, shaped like an eye over a note or rest, telling performers to hold it longer than its usual length.

   Grammar: Can be counted: a fermata over the last chord.

   Patterns

   • a fermata over something
   • hold a fermata

   The conductor held the fermata until the room fell silent.

   There is a fermata over the final chord of the piece.

   She forgot the fermata and moved on too soon.

2. 2nouncountablemusic

   The pause or held note itself, as played.

   Grammar: Refers to the sound rather than the mark.

   Patterns

   • a long fermata
   • take a fermata

   The fermata gave the audience a moment to breathe.

   The soprano stretched the fermata beyond what the composer expected.

   We argued about how long the fermata should last.

Word forms

Common combinations

hold the fermata

Hold the fermata until I lower my hand.

a fermata over a rest

A fermata over a rest creates a dramatic pause.

observe the fermata

The choir failed to observe the fermata.

a long fermata

The piece ends with a long fermata.

mark a fermata

The composer marked a fermata above the chord.

Synonyms and how they differ

pause

A pause is any stop in music, while a fermata is the specific symbol that asks for extra length.

hold

Hold is informal and describes the act of sustaining a note, while fermata is the mark.

caesura

A caesura is a break between phrases, not an extended note.

rest

A rest is a silence of set length, whereas a fermata stretches time freely.

Word family

fermate noun

the Italian plural form

fermare verb

the Italian verb meaning to stop, the source of the word

Commonly confused: fermata or fermentation?

Practice

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