Cadenza

Cadenza indication from Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3: fermata over rest indicates beginning, fermata over the trill indicates close.

In music, a cadenza (from Italian: cadenza [kaˈdɛntsa], meaning cadence; plural, cadenze [kaˈdɛntse]) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display. During this time, the accompaniment will rest or sustain a note or chord. Thus, an improvised cadenza is indicated in written notation by a fermata in all parts. A cadenza will usually occur over either the final or penultimate note in a piece, the lead-in (German: Eingang), or the final or penultimate note in an important subsection of a piece. A cadenza can also be found before a final coda or ritornello.