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    Music Dynamics

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    Stefan Manevski
    Music dynamics refer to the volume or loudness of sound and notes. Relative loudness is indicated using terms like piano, forte, mezzo, and pianissimo/fortissimo. Sudden changes in dynamics are notated with subito or accents above notes. Gradual changes use terms like crescendo, meaning gradually louder, and diminuendo/decrescendo, meaning gradually softer. Words and phrases further specify dynamics changes from soft to loud, loud to soft, fading, stressed, and more.

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    Music Dynamics

    Uploaded by

    Stefan Manevski
    445 views2 pages
    Music dynamics refer to the volume or loudness of sound and notes. Relative loudness is indicated using terms like piano, forte, mezzo, and pianissimo/fortissimo. Sudden changes in dynamics are notated with subito or accents above notes. Gradual changes use terms like crescendo, meaning gradually louder, and diminuendo/decrescendo, meaning gradually softer. Words and phrases further specify dynamics changes from soft to loud, loud to soft, fading, stressed, and more.

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    the general basics of music dynamics and notation

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    Music dynamics refer to the volume or loudness of sound and notes. Relative loudness is indicated using terms like piano, forte, mezzo, and pianissimo/fortissimo. Sudden changes in dynamics are notated with subito or accents above notes. Gradual changes use terms like crescendo, meaning gradually louder, and diminuendo/decrescendo, meaning gradually softer. Words and phrases further specify dynamics changes from soft to loud, loud to soft, fading, stressed, and more.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    445 views2 pages

    Music Dynamics

    Uploaded by

    Stefan Manevski
    Music dynamics refer to the volume or loudness of sound and notes. Relative loudness is indicated using terms like piano, forte, mezzo, and pianissimo/fortissimo. Sudden changes in dynamics are notated with subito or accents above notes. Gradual changes use terms like crescendo, meaning gradually louder, and diminuendo/decrescendo, meaning gradually softer. Words and phrases further specify dynamics changes from soft to loud, loud to soft, fading, stressed, and more.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Music Dynamics

    In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of
    the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato
    etc.) or functional (velocity).
    Relative loudness:
    P piano meaning soft
    f forte meaning loud
    mp/mf mezzo meaning moderately
    pp/ff pianissimo/fortissimo meaning very
    ppp/fff pianissimo/fortissimo possibile meaning most
    possible (loudest/softest)
    Sudden changes and accented notes:
    Sudden changes in dynamics may be notated by adding the word subito (Italian for suddenly) as a prefix or suffix
    to the new dynamic notation. Accents can also be notated using the sign >, placed above or below the head of the
    note.
    Sforzando (or sforzato or forzando or forzato), indicates a forceful accent and is abbreviated as sf, sfz or fz.
    The fortepiano notation fp indicates a forte followed immediately by piano. Sforzando piano (sfzp or sfp)
    indicates a sforzando followed immediately by piano; in general, any two dynamic markings may be treated
    similarly.
    Rinforzando, rfz or rf (literally "reinforcing") indicates that several notes, or a short phrase, are to be
    emphasized.
    Gradual changes:
    In addition, two Italian words are used to show gradual changes in volume. Crescendo, abbreviated cresc.,
    translates as "gradually becoming louder", and diminuendo, abbreviated dim., means "gradually becoming softer".
    The alternate decrescendo, abbreviated to decresc., also means "gradually becoming softer".
    For greater changes in dynamics, cresc. molto and dim. molto are often used, where the molto means much.
    Similarly, for slow changes cresc. poco a poco and dim. poco a poco are used, where poco a poco translates as little
    by little.
    Words/phrases indicating changes of dynamics:
    al niente: to nothing; fade to silence.
    calando: decreasing; becoming smaller
    calmando: becoming calmer
    crescendo: becoming louder
    dal niente: from nothing; out of silence
    decrescendo or diminuendo: becoming softer
    fortepiano: loud and then immediately soft
    fortissimo piano: very loud and then
    immediately soft
    in rilievo: in relief (French en dehors:
    outwards); indicates that a particular instrument
    or part is to play louder than the others so as to
    stand out over the ensemble. In the circle of
    Arnold Schoenberg, this expression had been
    replaced by the letter "H" (for German,
    "Hauptstimme"), with an added horizontal line
    at the letter's top, pointing to the right, the end
    of this passage to be marked by the symbol " ".
    perdendo or perdendosi: losing volume,
    fading into nothing, dying away
    mezzoforte piano: moderately strong and
    then immediately soft
    morendo: dying away (may also indicate a
    tempo change)
    marcato: stressed, pronounced
    pianoforte: soft and then immediately strong
    sforzando piano: with marked emphasis, then
    immediately soft
    sotto voce: in an undertone (whispered or
    unvoiced)
    smorzando: becoming muffled or toned down

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