DYNAMIC SHADES

Musical terms that determine the degree of loudness of music performance are called dynamic shades (from the Greek word dynamicos - force, that is, the strength of sound). In sheet music, of course, you have seen the following icons: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, dim, cresc. All these are abbreviations for the names of dynamic shades. Look how they are written in full, pronounced and translated: pp -- pianissimo “pianissimo” – very quietly; r -- piano "piano" - quietly; mp -- mezzo piano "mezzo piano" - moderately quiet, a little louder than a piano; mf -- mezzo forte “mezzo forte” – moderately loud, louder than a mezzo piano; f -- forte ("forte" - loud; ff -- fortissimo "fortissimo" - very loud. Sometimes, much less often, in notes you can find the following designations: ppp (piano-pianissimo), pprr. Or fff, (forte -fortissimo), ffff. They mean very, very quietly, barely audible, very, very loud. The sign sf - sforzando (sforzando) indicates the emphasis of a note or chord. The following words are very often found in notes: dim, diminuendo (diminuendo) or a symbol indicating a gradual weakening of the sound. Cresc. (crescendo), or a symbol - indicate, on the contrary, that the sound should be gradually increased. Poco a poco (poko a poko) is sometimes placed before the designation cresc. little by little, little by little, gradually. Of course, these words are also found in other combinations. After all, gradually you can not only strengthen the sound, but also weaken it, speed up or slow down the movement. Instead of diminuendo, they sometimes write morendo (morendo) - this definition means not fading. only calming down, but also slowing down the tempo. The word smorzando has approximately the same meaning - muffling, fading, weakening the sonority and slowing down the tempo. You've probably heard the play "November" from Tchaikovsky's "Seasons" cycle more than once. It has the subtitle “On the Troika.” Starts not very loud (mf) simple melody, similar to Russian folk song. It grows, expands, and now it sounds powerful, loud (f). The next musical episode, more lively and graceful, imitates the sound of road bells. And then, against the background of the incessant ringing of bells, the melody of the song appears again - now quiet (p), now approaching and again disappearing into the distance, gradually fading away.

Creative portraits composers. - M.: Music. 1990 .

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Volume (relative)

Two basic designations for volume in music:

Moderate degrees of loudness are indicated as follows:

Besides the signs f And p , There are also

Additional letters are used to indicate even more extreme degrees of loudness and silence. f And p . So, quite often in musical literature there are notations fff And ppp . They do not have standard names; they usually say “forte fortissimo” and “piano pianissimo” or “tri forte” and “tri piano”.

In rare cases, with the help of additional f And p Even more extreme degrees of sound intensity are indicated. Thus, P. I. Tchaikovsky in his Sixth Symphony used pppppp And ffff , and D. D. Shostakovich in the Fourth Symphony - fffff .

The designations of dynamics are relative, not absolute. For example, mp does not indicate an exact volume level, but rather that this passage should be played somewhat louder than p , and somewhat quieter than mf . Some computer audio recording programs have standard key velocity values ​​that correspond to a particular volume designation, but these values ​​can usually be customized.

Gradual changes

Terms used to denote a gradual change in volume crescendo(Italian crescendo), denoting a gradual increase in sound, and diminuendo(Italian diminuendo), or Decrecendo(decrescendo) - gradual weakening. In sheet music they are abbreviated as cresc. And dim.(or decresc.). For the same purposes, special “fork” signs are used. They are pairs of lines connected on one side and diverging on the other. If the lines diverge from left to right () - weakening. The following piece of music notation shows a moderately loud start, then a louder sound, and then a softer sound:

“Forks” are usually written below the staff, but sometimes above it, especially in vocal music. They usually indicate short-term changes in volume, and signs cresc. And dim.- changes over a longer period of time.

Designations cresc. And dim. may be accompanied by additional instructions poco(poko - a little) poco a poco(poko and poko - little by little), subito or sub.(subito - suddenly), etc.

Sforzando designation

Drastic changes

Sforzando(Italian: sforzando) or sforzato(sforzato) denotes sudden sharp emphasis and is indicated sf or sfz . The sudden intensification of several sounds or a short phrase is called rinforzando(Italian rinforzando) and is designated rinf. , rf or rfz .

Designation fp means “loudly, then immediately quietly”; sfp indicates sforzando followed by piano.

Musical terms related to dynamics

• al niente
• calando
• crescendo- strengthening
• decrescendo or diminuendo- lowering the volume
• perdendo or perdendosi- losing strength, wilting
• morendo
• marcato- emphasizing every note
• più- more
• poco- A little
• poco a poco- little by little, gradually
• sotto voice- in a low voice
• subito- suddenly

Music is an art form that appeals to our sensory sphere with the help of sounds. The language of sounds contains various elements, which in professional terminology are called “means musical expressiveness" One of these most important and most powerful elements is dynamics.

What is dynamics

This word is familiar to everyone from a physics course and is associated with the concepts of “mass”, “force”, “energy”, “motion”. In music it defines the same thing, but in relation to sound. Dynamics in music is the strength of sound; it can also be expressed in terms of “quieter - louder”.

Playing at the same sonority level cannot be expressive; it quickly tires. On the contrary, frequent changes in dynamics make music interesting, allowing you to convey a wide range of emotions.

If the music is intended to express joy, triumph, jubilation, happiness, the dynamics will be bright and sonorous. To convey emotions such as sadness, tenderness, trepidation, and soulfulness, light, soft, calm dynamics are used.

Ways to indicate dynamics

Dynamics in music are what determine the volume level. There are very few designations for this; there are much more real gradations in sound. So dynamic symbols should be considered just as a scheme, a direction of search, where each performer fully demonstrates his imagination.

The dynamics level “loud” is designated by the term “forte”, “quiet” - “piano”. This is common knowledge. “Quiet, but not too quiet” - “mezzo piano”; “Not too loud” - “mezzo forte”.

If the dynamics in music require going to the level of extremes, “pianissimo” nuances are used - very quietly; or “fortissimo” - very loud. In exceptional cases, the number of “forte” and “piano” icons can reach up to five!

But even taking into account all the options, the number of symbols for expressing loudness does not exceed the number 12. This is not at all a lot, considering that on a good piano you can extract up to 100 dynamic gradations!

Dynamic instructions also include the following terms: “crescendo” (gradually increasing the volume) and the opposite term “diminuendo”.

Musical dynamics includes a number of symbols indicating the need to emphasize a sound or consonance: > ("accent"), sf or sfz (sharp accent - "sforzando"), rf or rfz ("rinforzando" - "amplifying") .

From harpsichord to piano

Surviving examples of harpsichords and clavichords allow us to imagine what dynamics are in music. The mechanics of the ancient predecessors of the piano did not allow the volume level to be changed gradually. For a sharp change in dynamics, there were additional keyboards (manuals), which could add overtones to the sound due to octave doubling.

A special system of levers and a foot keyboard on the organ made it possible to achieve a variety of timbres and increased volume, but changes still occurred suddenly. In relation to Baroque music, there is even a special term “terrace-shaped dynamics”, since changing volume levels resembled the ledges of a terrace.

As for the amplitude of the dynamics, it was quite small. The sound of the harpsichord, pleasant, silvery and quiet up close, was almost inaudible at a distance of several meters. The sound of the clavichord was harsher, with a metallic tint, but a little more resonant.

This instrument was very loved by J. S. Bach for its ability, albeit to a barely noticeable extent, but still to change the level of dynamics depending on the strength of the fingers touching the keys. This made it possible to give the phrase a certain prominence.

The invention of the piano with its hammer system at the beginning of the 18th century created a revolution, expanding the possibilities of the Dynamics in music performed on a modern piano, has a huge number of gradations of sound and, most importantly, the availability of gradual transitions from one nuance to another.

The dynamics are large and detailed

Major dynamics are usually expressed by symbols set out in a table. There are few of them, they are clear and definite.

However, “inside” each of these nuances there can be a mass of more subtle sound gradations. There are no special designations for them, but these levels exist in real sound and it is they that make us listen with reverence to the performance of a talented performer.

Such fine dynamics are called detailed. The tradition of its use dates back to (remember the capabilities of the clavichord).

Dynamics in music is one of the touchstones of performance art. It is the masterful mastery of subtle nuances, light, barely noticeable changes that distinguish the playing of a talented professional.

However, it can be no less difficult to evenly distribute the increase or decrease in sonority when it is “stretched” over a large segment of the musical text.

Relativity of dynamics

In conclusion, it is worth noting that dynamics in music is a very relative concept, as, indeed, everything else in our lives. Every musical style and even each composer has his own dynamic scale, as well as his own characteristics in the use of nuance.

What sounds good in Prokofiev's music is absolutely inapplicable when performing Scarlatti sonatas. And the piano nuance of Chopin and Beethoven will sound completely different.

The same applies to the degree of emphasis, the duration of maintaining the same level of dynamics, the method of changing it, and so on.

In order to master this means of musical expression at a good professional level, it is necessary, first of all, to study the playing of great masters, listen, analyze, think and draw conclusions.

Dynamic shades (nuances). There are two main dynamic shades in music:
1. f forte (Italian) forte- translation. "strongly") - loudly. Graduation levels:
mf- mezzo forte (Italian) mezzo-forte) – moderately loud, ff– fortissimo ( fortissimo) - very loud
2. p piano (Italian) piano- translation. “weakly”) - quietly. Graduation levels:
mp mezzo-piano ( mezzo-piano) – moderately quiet, pp pianissimo ( pianissimo) - very quiet.

In addition, to indicate large degrees of shade in musical notations, the letters f And p are applied additionally. For example: ppp(piano-pianissimo or three pianos) or fff(forte fortissimo or three forte). These designations are more psychological character, indicating to the musician that the sound should be even quieter or louder than usual. As a rule, this requires psychological concentration from the musician or, in cases of “loud” music, extra effort. You can rarely find something like this in scores: ffff, or this: pppp.

All degrees of sound intensity gradation are relative and comparable to the capabilities of the instrument itself. In addition, in orchestral or ensemble playing one should always take into account whether the solo or accompanying part has a dynamic nuance. In a solo part, it should still be interpreted as louder in relation to the rest of the group of instruments. IN large teams the last word the choice of sound strength remains with the conductor, because the performer from his seat cannot objectively feel the sound balance.

Indications of the performance volume level in ascending order:
ppp– three pianos (piano pianissimo) – the quietest
pp– pianissimo – very quiet
p– piano - quiet
mp– mezzo piano - not very quiet
mf– mezzo forte - not very loud
f– forte - loud
ff– fotrissimo – very loud
fff– three forte (forte fortissimo) – the loudest

To the signs indicating dynamic changes:
1. Crescendo (Italian) crescendo, cresc.) – a symbol indicating a gradual increase in the volume of sound production. It is also indicated by a fork with a sharp end on the left - extended to the right. The edges of the symbol are often shaded.
2. Diminuendo (Italian) diminuendo, dim.), less often decrescendo ( decrescendo) – a symbol indicating a gradual decrease in the volume of sound production. It is also indicated by a fork with a sharp end on the right - extended to the left. The edges of the symbol are often shaded.

A number of more terms related to dynamics:
al niente- literally “to nothing”, to silence
calando- “going down”; slowing down and lowering the volume.
marcato- emphasizing every note
morendo- fading (fading down and slowing down)
perdendo(perdendosi) - losing strength, wilting
sotto voice- in a low voice
Accompanying dynamics terms:
piu- more
poco- A little
poco a poco- little by little, gradually
subito- suddenly
Terms of sudden change in dynamics (suddenly sharp accent):
sf- sforzando (Italian) sforzando)
sfz- sforzato (Italian) sforzato)
fp- forte piano ( forte piano) means "loudly, then immediately quietly"; sfp(sforzando piano) - sforzando and immediately piano.

Musical terms that determine the degree of loudness of music performance are called dynamic shades (from the Greek word dynamicos - force, that is, the strength of sound). In sheet music, of course, you have seen the following icons: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, dim, cresc. All these are abbreviations for the names of dynamic shades. Look how they are written in full, pronounced and translated: pp - pianissimo “pianissimo” - very quietly; p - piano “piano” - quiet; mp - mezzo piano “mezzo piano” - moderately quiet, a little louder than a piano; mf - mezzo forte “mezzo forte” - moderately loud, louder than mezzo piano; f - forte (“forte” - loud; ff - fortissimo “fortissimo” - very loud.
Sometimes, much less often, you can find the following designations in sheet music: ppp (piano-pianissimo), pprr. Or fff, (forte fortissimo), ffff. They mean very, very quietly, barely audible, very, very loud. The sign sf - sforzando (sforzando) indicates the emphasis of a note or chord. Very often the following words are found in notes: dim, diminuendo (diminuendo) or an icon indicating a gradual weakening of the sound. Cresc. (crescendo), or icon - indicate, on the contrary, that the sound needs to be gradually increased. Before the designation cresc. sometimes it is put poco a poco (poco a poco) - little by little, little by little, gradually. Of course, these words also appear in other combinations. After all, you can gradually not only strengthen the sound, but also weaken it, speed up or slow down the movement. Instead of diminuendo, they sometimes write morendo (morendo) - freezing. This definition means not only calming down, but also slowing down the pace. The word smorzando has approximately the same meaning - muting, freezing, weakening sonority and slowing down the tempo. You've probably heard the play "November" from Tchaikovsky's "Seasons" cycle more than once. It has the subtitle “On the Troika.” It starts not very loud (mf) with a simple melody, similar to a Russian folk song. It grows, expands, and now it sounds powerful, loud (f). The next musical episode, more lively and graceful, imitates the sound of road bells. And then, against the background of the incessant ringing of bells, the melody of the song appears again - now quiet (r), now approaching and again disappearing into the distance, gradually fading away.

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In the previous article we looked at the concept of tempo as a means of expression in music. You also learned about tempo notation options. In addition to tempo, the volume of a piece of music is of great importance. Volume is a powerful means of expression in music. The tempo of the piece and its volume complement each other, creating a single picture.

Dynamic shades

The level of volume of music is called dynamic tone. We immediately draw attention to the fact that within one piece of music Various dynamic shades can be used. Below is a list of dynamic shades.

Let's look at examples of the interaction between volume and tempo. The march will most likely sound loud, clear, and solemn. The romance will not sound very loud, at a slow or medium tempo. With a high degree of probability, in the romance we will encounter a gradual acceleration of the tempo and increasing volume. Less often, depending on the content, there may be a gradual slowdown in tempo and lower volume.

Bottom line

In order to perform music, you need to know the designation of dynamic shades. You saw what signs and words are used for this in the notes.

The most important thing in vocal production is proper breathing. It is with him that training in professional singing begins, which serves as a guide to the vast world of the stage. It is with proper breathing that the performance of a song begins, because this is the support on which the entire vocal technique of the performer rests.

While singing, you need to monitor your body position. The neck should not be tense and stretched forward. We should be in a state of comfort, slightly relax. When singing, only the stomach and diaphragm work.
Our word in speech or singing must be clear in pronunciation, expressive and loud enough to be heard in the last row of the auditorium.
Required good diction, that is, a clear, clear pronunciation of words, and the oral cavity helps us with this as part of the vocal apparatus, forming the sounds of speech.
The articulatory apparatus includes: the oral cavity (cheeks, lips, teeth, tongue, jaws, palate, pharynx, larynx). We must remember that the oral cavity is a very important resonator (a movable resonator, the “architecture” of which determines the sound quality). The first condition for the operation of the articulatory apparatus is naturalness and activity.
It is important to note that all work on a vocal work, of course, involves continuous simultaneous work on the purity of intonation, on singing breathing, on the design of sound, i.e. on articulation, on diction, on a high singing position and on sound management, coupled with dynamic shades . Depending on the age of the students and their vocal abilities, it is possible and necessary to work on the timbre coloring of the voice, on the resonance of sound. All these vocal and technical skills are acquired and practiced both during singing, during vocal exercises, and when working on works and are combined into a single expression - vocal work.

In music, it is customary to call the power of volume dynamic shades. Thus, dynamics is the strength of the sound of music.
In life, we don't talk at the same volume. Usually, when we want to say something important, we strengthen our voice - we speak louder, and in music, the most important words, particularly in a song, are pronounced louder. Various degrees Sound volumes in music are called dynamic tones. They have enormous expressive value.
Dynamics - from the Greek word dynamicos - power, that is, the power of sound. That is, each piece of music has its own dynamic development. The strength of the sound gradually increases and then gradually decreases. In music this is called the use of dynamic shades and phrasing, i.e., like ordinary colloquial phrase There is a logic of our own – we say some things louder, and some things more quietly.

Phrasing is the division of a piece of music into phrases. In turn, a phrase is any small relatively complete musical turn. Phrases are separated from one another by caesura (breath, pause, backlash). The phrase should be performed in one breath, but with our vocal imperfections, phrases are often divided into 2 parts. The length of the phrase depends on the “length” of the performer’s breath.
A musical phrase must be felt. The phrase is determined by the logic of the development of musical thought. Phrasing is used to reveal the content of a particular work. For a performer, the ability to correctly convey the author’s thoughts, emphasize and highlight shades, correctly place accents, and in general achieve maximum expressiveness and impact on listeners - this is what it means to phrase.
Traditional phrasing is when the climax of a word, phrase, verse, or entire piece coincides with the highest and longest note. Then the phrase is easy to sing, perform, and make expressive.
The means to achieve this art include:

1) mastery of breathing,
2) clear articulation, diction
3) execution of an absolutely accurate rhythmic pattern,
4) precisely seasoned, correct size,
5) correct placement of pauses (caesuras),
6) additional breaths, backlash pauses,
7) lengthening of some part,
8) adherence to tempo designations: Accelerando - acceleration, adlibitum or rubato - free, ritenuto - slow, staccato, sforzando, marcato, portamento,
9) fermata is applied,
10) mastery of the art of thinning (smooth transition from p to f).

Let's take a closer look at these means of expression.
Breathing: is the most important means of expression. Depending on the nature of the piece being performed, the nature of breathing also changes: in lively, light, fast compositions, breathing should be lighter.
You can practice to achieve long breathing and easily sing 2 phrases in one breath, but this is not necessary, it should not be an end in itself and interferes with expressiveness. Breathing has the meaning of punctuation marks. By inhaling you can show or highlight the construction of a literary phrase, its semantic content.
Fermatas are allowed if they do not violate the melodic and rhythmic structure of the phrase.

A pause is also a means of expression. Pauses between phrases are designed to separate musical thoughts. After a strong rise, a pause, as it were, completes the previous episode, allows the listener to feel, realize, experience it, and vice versa, a pause prepares a new episode, allows the performer to prepare, restructure, and focus on the upcoming episode. There are works written without pauses; each phrase simply ends with a long note or two joined notes. In this case, the performer has every right to pause between phrases and take a breath by shortening the last long note.
A pause carries a large semantic load - it is an understatement, and a question, impulse or reflection. Pauses should not be excessively shortened or lengthened so as not to disrupt the harmony of the work’s form.
Breath catching, backlash, is often used, i.e. very short, fast, imperceptible breathing, imperceptible to the listener, so as not to lose the musical thought, because a pause is part of the musical thought.

Thinning is a dynamic sound shade, also refers to the means of expressiveness. It adds subtle variety to the performance. (Soft transition from p to f and back).
Portamento is a slight attraction, a soft transition from sound to sound, refreshes the phrase, introduces poetic color, gives something new, unexpected, but must be applied with taste, in the right place, otherwise this nuance loses its meaning.
Diction – helps to form a phrase and bring out the music of words.

You need to know how to use accents. Accent - happens:
1) grammatical, (one or another syllable is highlighted, its length or brevity),
2) written accent (acute stress, blow, heavy stress),
3) logical accent (logical stress),
4) pathetic accent (culmination, wave to syllable),
5) national accent (peculiar pronunciation of some letters)

Music is an art form that appeals to our sensory sphere with the help of sounds. The language of sounds contains various elements, which in professional terminology are called “means of musical expression.” One of these most important and most powerful elements is dynamics.

What is dynamics

This word is familiar to everyone from a physics course and is associated with the concepts of “mass”, “force”, “energy”, “motion”. In music it defines the same thing, but in relation to sound. Dynamics in music is the strength of sound; it can also be expressed in terms of “quieter - louder”.

Playing at the same sonority level cannot be expressive; it quickly tires. On the contrary, frequent changes in dynamics make music interesting, allowing you to convey a wide range of emotions.

If the music is intended to express joy, triumph, jubilation, happiness, the dynamics will be bright and sonorous. To convey emotions such as sadness, tenderness, trepidation, and soulfulness, light, soft, calm dynamics are used.

Ways to indicate dynamics

Dynamics in music are what determine the volume level. There are very few designations for this; there are much more real gradations in sound. So dynamic symbols should be considered just as a scheme, a direction of search, where each performer fully demonstrates his imagination.

The dynamics level “loud” is designated by the term “forte”, “quiet” - “piano”. This is common knowledge. “Quiet, but not too quiet” - “mezzo piano”; “Not too loud” - “mezzo forte”.

If the dynamics in music require going to the level of extremes, “pianissimo” nuances are used - very quietly; or “fortissimo” - very loud. In exceptional cases, the number of “forte” and “piano” icons can reach up to five!

But even taking into account all the options, the number of symbols for expressing loudness does not exceed the number 12. This is not at all a lot, considering that on a good piano you can extract up to 100 dynamic gradations!

Dynamic instructions also include the following terms: “crescendo” (gradually increasing the volume) and the opposite term “diminuendo”.

Musical dynamics includes a number of symbols indicating the need to emphasize a sound or consonance: > ("accent"), sf or sfz (sharp accent - "sforzando"), rf or rfz ("rinforzando" - "amplifying") .

From harpsichord to piano

Surviving examples of harpsichords and clavichords allow us to imagine what dynamics are like in music. The mechanics of the ancient ones did not allow the volume level to be changed gradually. For a sharp change in dynamics, there were additional keyboards (manuals), which could add overtones to the sound due to octave doubling.

The special and foot keyboard on the organ made it possible to achieve a variety of timbres and increased volume, but still the changes occurred suddenly. In relation to Baroque music, there is even a special term “terrace-shaped dynamics”, since changing volume levels resembled the ledges of a terrace.

As for the amplitude of the dynamics, it was quite small. The sound of the harpsichord, pleasant, silvery and quiet up close, was almost inaudible at a distance of several meters. The sound of the clavichord was harsher, with a metallic tint, but a little more resonant.

This instrument was very loved by J. S. Bach for its ability, albeit to a barely noticeable extent, but still to change the level of dynamics depending on the strength of the fingers touching the keys. This made it possible to give the phrase a certain prominence.

The invention of the piano with its hammer system at the beginning of the 18th century created a revolution, expanding the possibilities of the Dynamics in music performed on a modern piano, has a huge number of gradations of sound and, most importantly, the availability of gradual transitions from one nuance to another.

The dynamics are large and detailed

Major dynamics are usually expressed by symbols set out in a table. There are few of them, they are clear and definite.

However, “inside” each of these nuances there can be a mass of more subtle sound gradations. There are no special designations for them, but these levels exist in real sound and it is they that make us listen with reverence to the performance of a talented performer.

Such fine dynamics are called detailed. The tradition of its use dates back to (remember the capabilities of the clavichord).

Dynamics in music is one of the touchstones of performance art. It is the masterful mastery of subtle nuances, light, barely noticeable changes that distinguish the playing of a talented professional.

However, it can be no less difficult to evenly distribute the increase or decrease in sonority when it is “stretched” over a large segment of the musical text.

Relativity of dynamics

In conclusion, it is worth noting that dynamics in music is a very relative concept, like everything else in our lives. Each musical style and even each composer has its own dynamic scale, as well as its own characteristics in the use of nuance.

What sounds good in Prokofiev's music is absolutely inapplicable when performing Scarlatti sonatas. And the piano nuance of Chopin and Beethoven will sound completely different.

The same applies to the degree of emphasis, the duration of maintaining the same level of dynamics, the method of changing it, and so on.

In order to master this means of musical expression at a good professional level, it is necessary, first of all, to study the playing of great masters, listen, analyze, think and draw conclusions.