Example: The conductor held the fermata to extend the note's duration.
Definition
The fermata is a musical symbol placed over a note or rest indicating that it should be held longer than its usual duration, allowing the performer or conductor to extend the length at their discretion for expressive effect.
The word "fermata" comes from the Italian verb 'fermare,' meaning 'to stop' or 'to hold.' It was adopted into musical terminology to signify a pause or hold in the music, reflecting its function of extending the note's duration beyond the written value.
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"The fermata" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - Music - (C2) - set 1", containing 99 commonly used words.
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