Fermate

/fərˈmeɪt/ noun

Definition

An alternative or variant form of fermata, used in some contexts or older musical notation.

Etymology

A variant spelling of 'fermata' from Italian, showing how technical musical terms were sometimes anglicized or spelled differently in English texts during earlier periods.

Kelly Says

Different composers and different regions used different spellings—'fermate' versus 'fermata'—which tells you that musical notation was still being standardized even as composers were creating masterpieces.

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