Attendez

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a note or bar, most often in an accompaniment part, telling the player to wait — to hold back or pause briefly, usually for the soloist — before going on. It applies only to the moment it marks; a following a Tempo or simply the next downbeat resumes the flow.

Also spelled: attendre

How Composers Use It

A direction about coordination more than tempo: in a song it asks the pianist to let the singer finish a held note or a ritardando before moving on, the courtesy colla voce asks for over a longer span. In Bizet’s songs it appears exactly where the voice slows or holds. Use it sparingly and place it where the wait falls; for a broader slowing, write retenez or cédez instead.

Example

Bizet, 20 Mélodies, Op. 21, “Rêve de la bien-aimée”, piano, m. 32: “attendez” beside “ten.”, while the voice has “rit. e dim.” and resumes “a Tempo” at m. 33.