Rests are intervals of
silence in pieces of
music, marked by symbols indicating the length of the silence. Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular
note value, indicating how long the silence should last, generally as a multiplier of a
measure or
whole note. • The quarter (crotchet) rest (𝄽) may take a different form in older music. • The four-measure rest or
longa rest are only used in long silent passages which are not divided into
bars. • The combination of rests used to mark a silence follows the same rules as for
note values.
One-bar rest {{Image frame|content= { > \new Staff > >> >> } |width=420|caption=Rest on weak interior
cadence from
Lassus's
Qui vult venire post me, mm. 3–5}} When an entire
bar is devoid of notes, a whole (semibreve) rest placed at the
middle of the measure is used, regardless of the actual
time signature. Some published (usually earlier) music places the numeral "" above the rest to confirm the extent of the rest. Therefore, dotted whole rests and dotted rests of longer values are very rarely seen. Occasionally in manuscripts and facsimiles of them, bars of rest are sometimes left completely empty and unmarked, possibly even without the staves.
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. A multimeasure rest is usually drawn in one of two ways: • As a thick horizontal line placed on the middle line of the staff, with
serifs at both ends (see above middle picture), Specifically marking general pauses each time they occur (rather than writing them as ordinary rests) is relevant for performers, as making any kind of noise should be avoided there—for instance, page turns in sheet music are not made during general pauses, as the sound of turning the page becomes noticeable when no one is playing. == ==