Pause

As Printed on a Score

In British usage pause names the fermata sign over a note or rest, and it also appears in words above the staff (long pause, short pause). A pause lasts at the performer’s or conductor’s discretion; the music then resumes in tempo unless another direction follows.

How Composers Use It

British writers call the fermata a pause, so long pause means a fermata held long. Use words when the sign alone is ambiguous: say whether a pause on a rest is a breath or a full silence, and roughly how long. Pauses at section ends shape the form; pauses inside a phrase break it, so use those sparingly.

Related Terms