The caesura often indicates an abrupt interruption in the performance followed by an equally sudden resumption. Its duration is typically shorter than a grand pause (G.P.) or long pause (L.P.), but longer than that indicated by a breath mark. When combined with a fermata a longer silence is usually implied. The starting point of the caesura may be indicated by either a startid, tstamp, tstamp.ges, or tstamp.real attribute. It is a semantic error not to specify a starting point attribute.
Unlike the breath mark, a caesura may have a performed duration. Also, while the default value for place on the breath mark is above, the default value for place for a caesura is within. Unless indicated by other attributes, a caesura will be rendered as a pair of slanted lines through the top line of the staff.
<elementSpec ident="caesura" module="MEI.shared">
<desc xml:lang="en">Break, pause, or interruption in the normal tempo of a composition. Typically indicated
by
"railroad tracks",
<abbr>i.e.</abbr>, two diagonal slashes.</desc>
<classes>
<memberOf key="att.common"/>
<memberOf key="att.facsimile"/>
<memberOf key="att.caesura.anl"/>
<memberOf key="att.caesura.ges"/>
<memberOf key="att.caesura.log"/>
<memberOf key="att.caesura.vis"/>
<memberOf key="model.controlEventLike"/>
</classes>
<content>
<empty/>
</content>
<constraintSpec ident="caesura_start-type_attributes_required" scheme="schematron">
<constraint>
<sch:rule context="mei:caesura">
<sch:assert test="@startid or @tstamp or @tstamp.ges or @tstamp.real">Must have one of the
attributes: startid, tstamp, tstamp.ges or tstamp.real.</sch:assert>
</sch:rule>
</constraint>
</constraintSpec>
<remarks xml:lang="en">
<p>The caesura often indicates an abrupt interruption in the performance followed by
an
equally sudden resumption. Its duration is typically shorter than a grand pause (G.P.)
or
long pause (L.P.), but longer than that indicated by a <gi scheme="MEI">breath</gi> mark.
When combined with a <gi scheme="MEI">fermata</gi> a longer silence is usually implied. The
starting point of the caesura may be indicated by either a <att>startid</att>,
<att>tstamp</att>, <att>tstamp.ges</att>, or <att>tstamp.real</att> attribute. It is a
semantic error not to specify a starting point attribute.</p>
<p>Unlike the <gi scheme="MEI">breath</gi> mark, a caesura may have a performed duration.
Also, while the default value for <att>place</att> on the breath mark is
<val>above</val>, the
default value for <att>place</att> for a caesura is
<val>within</val>. Unless indicated by other
attributes, a caesura will be rendered as a pair of slanted lines through the top
line of
the staff.</p>
<p/>
</remarks>
</elementSpec>