Caesura
A caesura (/siˈzjʊərə/, pl. caesuras or caesurae; Latin for "cutting"), also written cæsura and cesura, is a metrical pause or break in a verse where one phrase ends and another phrase begins. It may be expressed by a comma (,), a tick (✓), or two lines, either slashed (//) or upright (||). In time value, this break may vary between the slightest perception of silence all the way up to a full pause.[1]
For the Helios album, see Caesura (album).Music[edit]
In music, a caesura denotes a brief, silent pause, during which metrical time is not counted. Similar to a silent fermata, caesurae are located between notes or measures (before or over bar lines), rather than on notes or rests (as with a fermata). A fermata may be placed over a caesura to indicate a longer pause.
In musical notation, a caesura is marked by double oblique lines, similar to a pair of slashes ⟨//⟩. The symbol is popularly called "tram-lines" in the UK and "railroad tracks" or "train tracks" in the US.
The length of a caesura where notated is at the discretion of the conductor.