fermata

IPA/fɜːˈmɑːtə/
KK[fɛrmˈɑtˌɑ]IPA/fɜːrˈmɑːtə/

fermata — noun

1. a small curved mark written above a note, chord, or pause in a piece of music, t

1.nounC2
Definition

a small curved mark written above a note, chord, or pause in a piece of music, telling the player or singer to hold that sound for longer than its written length; how much longer is left up to whoever is performing.

Example

Reuben paused on the final chord because the composer had marked a fermata above it.

fermata above [a chord] for held sound

The conductor lifted both hands slowly, stretching the fermata at the end of the hymn.

stretching the fermata for performer choice

Common collocations
  • place a fermata
  • hold a fermata
  • release a fermata
  • fermata over a note
  • fermata above a chord
Synonyms
  • hold

    informal English term used by performers for the same symbol

  • pause

    British musical usage for the same mark

  • bird's eye

    casual nickname referring to the symbol's shape

Grammar Patterns

fermata over [a note/chord/rest]

Usage Note

Frequently used with prepositions 'over' or 'above' a note, chord, or rest. Common verbs: hold, place, mark, release a fermata. Plural is usually 'fermatas' in English, though musicians sometimes use the Italian plural 'fermate'.

Common Mistakes

Play the fermata quickly.
Hold the fermata longer than its written value.
a fermata always signals lengthening, never shortening, the sound.
Put a fermata on the bar line.
Put a fermata over a note or rest.
fermatas attach to specific notes or rests, not to bar lines.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms tell a performer to interrupt the normal flow of a piece, but they are not interchangeable. 'Fermata' is the technical Italian-derived name for the curved-arc-with-dot symbol that extends a specific note, chord, or rest. 'Hold' is the everyday English nickname performers use for that same symbol — same meaning, less formal. 'Pause' is the standard British musical term and appears in British editions and exam syllabuses where Americans would print 'fermata'. 'Caesura', written as two short slashes (//), is different: it signals a brief silence or breath BETWEEN beats, not a lengthening of an existing note. Use 'fermata' or 'hold' in conversation about the symbol; use 'caesura' only when you mean a break in the line.

fermata ↗hold ↗pause ↗caesura

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • hold a fermata
  • release a fermata
  • mark a fermata

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

Borrowed into English in the early 1800s from Italian 'fermata', meaning 'a stop' or 'a stay', from the verb 'fermare' meaning 'to stop' or 'to hold still'. The Italian word itself goes back to Latin 'firmare' meaning 'to make firm or steady'. The musical sense reflects the idea of holding a sound steady beyond its written length.