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fermata
(redirected from fermatas)

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 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

fermata [fəˈmɑːtə]
n pl -tas, -te [-tɪ]
(Music, other) Music another word for pause [5]
[from Italian, from fermare to stop, from Latin firmāre to establish; see firm1]
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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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
On the other hand, the very common practice of changing meters in Greek folk music is daringly employed to delineate sections, establish hypermeters or introduce phrase-length irregularities, such as contractions or written-in fermatas.
Bach's fermatas and the symmetrical variation groupings they produce, have profound implications with respect to tempo relationships, as well as the amount of pause and ritardandos taken between each variation.
Based on a hexachord, presented at the top of the score, "Jack Rabbit," from Youth's Companion by Ross Lee Finney, poses several challenges for the late-intermediate pianist, including exposed dissonances, angular phrases and unexpected rests and fermatas that depict the jackrabbit leaping and hovering on the North Dakota prairie.
 
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