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Rest (music)
Encyclopedia
A rest is an interval of silence
in a piece of music
, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol corresponds with a particular note value
:
The quarter (crotchet) rest may also be found as a form in older music.
The combination of rests used to mark a pause follows the same rules as for notes. For more details see note value
.
is devoid of notes, a whole (semibreve) rest is used, regardless of the actual time signature
. The only exceptions are for a 4/2 time signature (four half notes per bar), when a double whole rest is typically used for a bar's rest, and for time signatures shorter than 3/16, when a rest of the actual measure length would be used. For a 4/2 bar rest, it is now also common to use the whole rest instead of the double whole rest, so that a whole-bar rest for all time signatures starting from 3/16 is notated using a whole note rest. Some published music places the numeral "1" above the rest to confirm the extent of the rest.
In manuscript autographs and facsimiles, bars without notes are sometimes left completely empty, without even a whole rest. The composer can also completely leave out the staff lines (the practice of, for example, Krzysztof Penderecki
).
In instrumental parts, rests of more than one bar in the same meter and key may be indicated with a multimeasure rest (British English: multiple bar rest), showing the number of bars of rest, as shown. Multimeasure rests of variable duration are usually drawn in one of two ways: either as long, thick horizontal lines placed on the middle line of the staff, with serif
s at either end, or as thick diagonal lines placed between the second and fourth lines of the staff. They denote a silence several times the duration of a whole rest.
The number of whole-rest lengths for which the multimeasure rest lasts is indicated by a number printed above the musical staff (usually at the same size as the numerals in a time signature). Where the silence is for less than eight whole-rest lengths, some publishers use a combination of four-measure rests (long rests), double whole rests and whole rests to graphically indicate the extent of the rest. This serves as a counting aid and derives from Baroque notation conventions that were adapted from the old mensural
rest system dating from Medieval times. If a meter or key change occurs during a multimeasure rest, the rest must be broken up as required for clarity, with the change of key and/or meter indicated between the rests. This also applies in the case of a double-barline, which demarcates musical phrases or sections (a tacet instrumental part to a song may contain a sequence of multiple eight-measure rests, for instance).
The four-measure rest or longa
rest is a symbol found in Western musical notation
denoting a silence four times the duration of a whole rest. They are only used in long silent passages which are not divided into bar
s.
The two-measure rest or breve rest is another symbol found in Western musical notation
denoting a silence twice the duration of a whole rest. They are usually found in conjunction with the aforementioned four-measure rest.
after it, increasing its duration by half, but this is less commonly used than with notes, except occasionally in modern music notated in compound meters such as 6/8 or 12/8. In these meters the long-standing convention has been to indicate one beat of rest as a quarter rest followed by an eighth rest (equivalent to three eighths).
Double-dotted rests, while theoretically acceptable, rarely appear in printed music, due to notational conventions and a concern for clarity.
Silence
Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech....
in a piece of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol corresponds with a particular note value
Note value
In music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags/beams/hooks/tails....
:
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
| Long Longa (music) A longa is a musical note that could be either twice or three times as long as a breve, four or six times as long as a semibreve/whole note, that appears in early music... (or four-measure rest) |
Long Longa (music) A longa is a musical note that could be either twice or three times as long as a breve, four or six times as long as a semibreve/whole note, that appears in early music... |
| Double whole rest Double whole note In music, a double whole note or breve is a note lasting twice as long as a whole note... |
Breve rest |
| Whole rest Whole note thumb|right|250px|Figure 1. A whole note and a whole rest.In music, a whole note or semibreve is a note represented by a hollow oval note head, like a half note , and no note stem . Its length is equal to four beats in 4/4 time... |
Semibreve rest |
| Half rest Half note In music, a half note or minim is a note played for half the duration of a whole note and twice the duration of a quarter note... |
Minim rest |
| Quarter rest Quarter note A quarter note or crotchet is a note played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note . Often people will say that a crotchet is one beat, however, this is not always correct, as the beat is indicated by the time signature of the music; a quarter note may or may not be the beat... |
Crotchet rest |
| Eighth rest Eighth note thumb|180px|right|Figure 1. An eighth note with stem facing up, an eighth note with stem facing down, and an eighth rest.thumb|right|180px|Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together.... |
Quaver rest |
| Sixteenth rest Sixteenth note thumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together.... |
Semiquaver rest |
| Thirty-second rest Thirty-second note In music, a thirty-second note or demisemiquaver is a note played for 1/32 of the duration of a whole note... |
Demisemiquaver rest |
| Sixty-fourth rest Sixty-fourth note In music notation, a sixty-fourth note or hemidemisemiquaver is a note played for 1/64 of the duration of a whole note . It lasts half as long as a thirty-second note .... |
Hemidemisemiquaver rest |
The quarter (crotchet) rest may also be found as a form in older music.
The combination of rests used to mark a pause follows the same rules as for notes. For more details see note value
Note value
In music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags/beams/hooks/tails....
.
One-bar rests
When an entire barBar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
is devoid of notes, a whole (semibreve) rest is used, regardless of the actual time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
. The only exceptions are for a 4/2 time signature (four half notes per bar), when a double whole rest is typically used for a bar's rest, and for time signatures shorter than 3/16, when a rest of the actual measure length would be used. For a 4/2 bar rest, it is now also common to use the whole rest instead of the double whole rest, so that a whole-bar rest for all time signatures starting from 3/16 is notated using a whole note rest. Some published music places the numeral "1" above the rest to confirm the extent of the rest.
In manuscript autographs and facsimiles, bars without notes are sometimes left completely empty, without even a whole rest. The composer can also completely leave out the staff lines (the practice of, for example, Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
).
Multiple measure rests
 |
 |
In instrumental parts, rests of more than one bar in the same meter and key may be indicated with a multimeasure rest (British English: multiple bar rest), showing the number of bars of rest, as shown. Multimeasure rests of variable duration are usually drawn in one of two ways: either as long, thick horizontal lines placed on the middle line of the staff, with serif
Serif
In typography, serifs are semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. A typeface with serifs is called a serif typeface . A typeface without serifs is called sans serif or sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without”...
s at either end, or as thick diagonal lines placed between the second and fourth lines of the staff. They denote a silence several times the duration of a whole rest.
The number of whole-rest lengths for which the multimeasure rest lasts is indicated by a number printed above the musical staff (usually at the same size as the numerals in a time signature). Where the silence is for less than eight whole-rest lengths, some publishers use a combination of four-measure rests (long rests), double whole rests and whole rests to graphically indicate the extent of the rest. This serves as a counting aid and derives from Baroque notation conventions that were adapted from the old mensural
Mensural notation
Mensural notation is the musical notation system which was used in European music from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600."Mensural" refers to the ability of this system to notate complex rhythms with great exactness and flexibility...
rest system dating from Medieval times. If a meter or key change occurs during a multimeasure rest, the rest must be broken up as required for clarity, with the change of key and/or meter indicated between the rests. This also applies in the case of a double-barline, which demarcates musical phrases or sections (a tacet instrumental part to a song may contain a sequence of multiple eight-measure rests, for instance).
The four-measure rest or longa
Longa (music)
A longa is a musical note that could be either twice or three times as long as a breve, four or six times as long as a semibreve/whole note, that appears in early music...
rest is a symbol found in Western musical notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
denoting a silence four times the duration of a whole rest. They are only used in long silent passages which are not divided into bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
s.
The two-measure rest or breve rest is another symbol found in Western musical notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
denoting a silence twice the duration of a whole rest. They are usually found in conjunction with the aforementioned four-measure rest.
Dotted rests
A rest may also have a dotDotted note
In Western musical notation, a dotted note is a note with a small dot written after it. The dot increases the duration of the basic note by half of its original value. If the basic note lasts 2 beats, the corresponding dotted note lasts 3 beats...
after it, increasing its duration by half, but this is less commonly used than with notes, except occasionally in modern music notated in compound meters such as 6/8 or 12/8. In these meters the long-standing convention has been to indicate one beat of rest as a quarter rest followed by an eighth rest (equivalent to three eighths).
Double-dotted rests, while theoretically acceptable, rarely appear in printed music, due to notational conventions and a concern for clarity.