DE ausdrucksvoll character core term Support my free tools
How is ausdrucksvoll played?
The performer shapes the music with feeling and nuance, just as for espressivo or expressif; the word literally reads 'full of expression' (Ausdruck = expression). German and Austrian composers use it where an Italian would write espressivo, and it stands beside the near-synonym 'mit Ausdruck'. It is often combined with other German directions and dynamics, and qualified by words such as 'sehr' (very) for added intensity. As with its Italian and French cousins, it prescribes an attitude rather than a fixed technique, leaving the specifics to the interpreter.
How does ausdrucksvoll sound?
The listener hears a warmly shaped, emotionally inflected line.
In context
Ausdrucksvoll is a standard German performance direction meaning 'expressively, with expression', glossed alongside 'mit Ausdruck' and derived from Ausdruck ('expression'). It is generic across the German-Austrian repertoire rather than tied to a single attributable work.
Equivalent terms
- IT espressivo
- FR expressif
- EN expressive
- DA udtryksfuldt