What does sfz mean in music?

sfz is used in scores for 2 different directions: sforzando — Sforzando is a sudden forceful accent on a marked note, chord or local group; sf and sfz are standard forms shared historically with sforzato. sforzato — Sforzato means forced or strongly accented on the marked event; sf and sfz are standard forms also shared with sforzando.

sfz

In a score, sfz can stand for sforzando or sforzato. Here is how to tell them apart.

sfz is one of the abbreviations that carries more than one meaning. Written out, it can be sforzando or sforzato — 2 separate directions that happen to shorten to the same letters. The score itself decides which: the surrounding passage, the instrument, and what the music is doing at that moment.

What sfz can stand for

sforzando Sforzando is a sudden forceful accent on a marked note, chord or local group; sf and sfz are standard forms shared historically with sforzato.
sforzato Sforzato means forced or strongly accented on the marked event; sf and sfz are standard forms also shared with sforzando.