General pause |

General pause (German Generalpause, abbr. G.R.; English general rest; French silence; Italian vuoto) is a simultaneous long pause in all the voices of the muses. a work written for a large instr. composition, especially for the orchestra. The duration of the G. p. is not less than a beat. G. p. is found on the verges of muses. forms, for example, during the transition from exposition to development (1st part of L. Beethoven’s 7th symphony), in introductions and codes. Sudden G. p., stopping the flow of music, are especially characteristic. thoughts and having dramatic significance. So, in the 1st part of F. Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, the melodious theme is suddenly interrupted and, after one measure of silence, formidable chords are heard. In the minuet from the symphony No 104 by J. Haydn, the two-bar G. p. is used, on the contrary, for humorous. effect; after an unexpected break, the theme ends happily. Duration pauses in chamber instruments. and wok. essays, as well as in for one instrument (fp., organ) are denoted by the term “G. P.” rarely, even if they performed in music. form the same function (see Pause). Sometimes G. p. is denoted by other terms (for example, in the 1st act of Ivan Susanin, in the sense of G. p., the term lungo silenzio – “long silence” is used).

V. N. Kholopova