General upbeat
Upbeat of a higher order that does not belong to the following motif but leads into a new idea.
What it means
The general upbeat (Generalauftakt) is an upbeat “of a higher order.” It does not belong to the immediately following motif but prepares and leads into a larger, new musical idea. It thus reaches beyond the small upbeat of a single motif and acts as a link between two sections.
Musical use
The term comes from the older doctrine of metre and phrasing, which divides musical ideas into motifs, phrases, and periods and distinguishes upbeats of different orders of magnitude. A general upbeat can be, for instance, a bar or a short transition that prepares a new formal section such as a second thematic group. It is today used mainly in the analysis of older music.
The general upbeat should be distinguished from the ordinary upbeat, which prepares only the next strong beat, and from the general pause, which as a shared rest of all voices means something entirely different. It also has nothing to do with the dress rehearsal.
Performance practice
When analysing a piece, recognise such sections that lead not to the following motif but to a new idea, and shape them in performance as a lead-in: with a slight swell and without emphasis on the end of the transition. This makes the new idea audible as the goal.