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fermata

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.07 sec.
fer·ma·ta  (fr-mät)
n. Music
1. The prolongation of a tone, chord, or rest beyond its indicated time value.
2. The sign indicating this prolongation.

[Italian, from feminine past participle of fermare, to stop, from Latin firmre, to make firm, from firmus, firm; see dher- in Indo-European roots.]
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fermata
from Saint Matthew Passion (1729) by Johann Sebastian Bach
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.fermata - a musical notation (over a note or chord or rest) that indicates it is to be prolonged by an unspecified amount
musical notation - (music) notation used by musicians
2.fermata - (music) a prolongation of unspecified length on a note or chord or rest
protraction, lengthiness, prolongation, continuation - the consequence of being lengthened in duration
music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

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Careful study of Bach's autograph manuscript, the first edition from 1741, shows he did not terminate every variation with a fermata, but that his fermata placements contribute to a virtually symmetrical arrangement of "single" variations (those with a fermata both before and after) and "paired" or "grouped" variations (two or more variations with no fermata between).
But the truce--a welcome fermata in the symphony of destruction--illustrated a timeless truth of the nature of the human soul as designed by its Creator.
While it's a relief to see Baker getting away from the fussbudget pornography of his recent novels Vox and The Fermata, his genius for passionately detailed, morally complex descriptive writing rarely appears in this jeremiad.
 
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