Fermata
Hold a note or rest longer — how long is the performer's call
Related
A fermata is the semicircle-and-dot placed over or under a note or rest: hold this value longer, with the actual length decided by the performer or conductor. It is an "open duration" — the page gives a minimum, not a maximum.
The usual mistake is to treat it as "stop for as long as you like". A fermata still lives inside musical time: a long hold must be carried by the breathing and harmonic tension around it. In a solo it is an opening for expression; in an ensemble one person must set it — otherwise everyone holds for a different length and the music falls apart.
Read deeper → Articulation Marks
Sources
- 延长记号的定义与历史用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Fermata"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.