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Glite Dictionary
🎹 Old piano 🔊 Loud then soft
fortepiano

fortepiano

9.5
A sign that tells musicians to play a note loudly then immediately softly
  • noun
  • /ˌfɔr.təˈpiː.ɑː.noʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fortepiano
  • When you see fortepiano in the music, play the note loudly and then immediately softly.

Examples

  • The orchestra responded to the fortepiano marking with a sharp dynamic change.

  • The composer marked a sudden fortepiano in the score to create dramatic contrast.

  • The composer wrote a fortepiano passage for the pianist.

  • Can you play that section with a fortepiano touch?

  • The composer marked a sudden fortepiano in the score to create dramatic contrast.

  • When you see fortepiano in the music, you must play the notes loudly and then softly.

  • The orchestra responded to the fortepiano marking by immediately softening their sound.

Surface Forms

fortepiano singular
fortepianos plural

Morphology

fortepiano = forte + piano (transparent) = forte + piano

Direct combination of the musical directions 'forte' (loud) and 'piano' (soft); the sense 'loud then immediately soft' is exactly the sum of the components.

Etymology

Fortepiano comes from the Italian parts forte and piano, which mean 'loud' and 'soft'. So a fortepiano marking tells you to play a note loudly and then immediately softly, like a quick shout followed by a whisper.