Dynamic markings tell the performer how loud or soft to play, and how the volume should change over time. Most come from Italian. The two roots are piano (soft) and forte (loud); everything else is built from them by degree (mezzo, -issimo) or by motion (crescendo, diminuendo). They are relative, not absolute — a forte in a string quartet is not a forte in a symphony orchestra.
Levels — soft to loud
- pianississimo Pianississimo, written ppp, marks an extremely soft dynamic below pianissimo in the score’s relative hierarchy.
- pianissimo Pianissimo, written pp, means very soft—a relative level below piano rather than a fixed loudness.
- piano Piano, written p, means soft: a relative dynamic level below mezzo piano and above pianissimo in the familiar hierarchy.
- mezzo piano Mezzo piano, written mp, means moderately soft—literally “half soft,” but not a mathematical half-volume.
- mezzo forte Mezzo forte, written mf, means moderately loud—literally “half strong,” but not a mathematical half-volume.
- forte Forte, written f, means loud or strong: a relative dynamic level, not a fixed decibel value.
- fortissimo Fortissimo, written ff, means very loud—a relative level above forte rather than a measured volume.
- fortississimo Fortississimo, written fff, marks an extreme loud level above fortissimo within the score’s relative dynamic range.
Changes — growing and fading
- crescendo Crescendo (cresc.) directs a gradual increase in loudness or dynamic intensity; it may be written as text or shown by a separate opening hairpin.
- decrescendo Decrescendo (decresc.) directs a gradual decrease in loudness; in modern notation it usually overlaps functionally with diminuendo without erasing the two distinct words.
- diminuendo Diminuendo (dim.) means gradually diminishing in loudness—the dynamic opposite of crescendo and a close modern counterpart of decrescendo.
- morendo Morendo means 'dying': the music fades in dynamics and often also in tempo, as if expiring. The short form mor. is attested but not universal.
- smorzando Smorzando (smorz.) means extinguishing or fading away: reduce the sound toward disappearance; a slowing may accompany it but is not automatic.
- perdendosi Perdendosi means “losing itself” or fading away: the sound and energy gradually recede, with a slight slowing possible but not automatic.