Luftpause

As Printed on a Score

Shown by a comma or apostrophe above the staff, occasionally with the word itself, at the point of a brief break in the sound. It affects only that moment; the tempo continues.

How Composers Use It

A Luftpause is a tiny gap — literally an air pause — that separates two phrases or gives the next note emphasis. Strings lift the bow; winds and singers breathe. It is shorter than a caesura, and its time usually comes out of the preceding note. Use it to articulate phrase structure, not as a substitute for a rest you want measured.

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