pause

In music, the prolongation of a note, chord, or rest beyond its normal value, indicated by the fermata sign. In the 18th-century concerto it is regularly placed over the 6/4 chord which precedes the cadenza. In a da capo it marks the point at which the piece ends after repetition of the first section. In the German chorale or in works based on it, the pause marks the end of each line and is to be ignored in performance.