IT con vibrato bowing core term Support my free tools
- Abbreviation
- c.v.
How is con vibrato played?
On a bowed string instrument, rock the stopping finger so the pitch oscillates with an expressive width and speed suited to the music, unless the score specifies those parameters. The instruction is especially useful after senza vibrato or non vibrato, or where the surrounding passage is otherwise straight. It is the Italian counterpart in function—not an abbreviation—of French avec vibrato. Winds and voices produce vibrato by different, instrument-specific means, so their technique should not be reduced to one universal breath, larynx or diaphragm recipe.
How does con vibrato sound?
The listener hears a warmer, more alive and singing tone, with the characteristic shimmer that vibrato lends to a sustained pitch.
In context
Three independent primary score legends expand c.v. as con vibrato, normally in contrast with s.v. or n.v. On strings the left hand creates a controlled pitch fluctuation, and separate markings may govern vibrato width, speed or regularity. Historical practice may treat vibrato selectively, so con vibrato can mark the precise point where expressive oscillation returns rather than merely restating an assumed default.