Whole rest

What it means

The whole rest designates a silence of the duration of a whole note, that is, four quarter notes in 4/4 time. It has, however, a peculiarity that distinguishes it from all other rests: in the usual notational practice it stands for a complete bar, regardless of how long this actually is.

In 3/4 time it thus fills three quarter notes, in 2/4 time two, in 6/8 time six eighth notes. In these cases the name describes not the duration but the function: “a whole bar of rest.” Only in 4/4 time do both meanings coincide. An exception is formed by some editions that apply deviating rules in alla breve and in larger metres.

In the notation

The sign is a small filled bar that hangs below the fourth line. The half rest looks similar but sits on the third line — the difference between hanging and sitting is the only distinction and is easily overlooked in fast reading. A mnemonic: the heavier whole rest hangs down, the lighter half rest sits on top.

Several empty bars in a row are combined in parts into a multi-bar rest, a horizontal bar with the number of bars above it.

Musical use

Whole rests mark the silence of a voice over a full bar. In ensemble and orchestral parts they are therefore particularly frequent; there their exact counting decides whether an entry is right. At the ends of movements they mark general pauses that act as a caesura. In scores they show at a glance which instruments are not involved at the moment.

Performance practice

Count rest bars along and do not rely on feeling; with several empty bars it helps to count the bar numbers instead of the beats. Mark long rests in the score with notes on what is happening in other parts. When reading, check whether the rest hangs or sits. And prepare the entry after the rest in good time instead of reaching for the instrument at the last moment.