Sotto voce (music)
In music, sotto voce (/ˈsɒtoʊ ˈvoʊtʃi, -tʃeɪ/,[1][2] Italian: [ˈsotto ˈvoːtʃe]; Italian for '"under the voice"') is a dramatic lowering of the vocal or instrumental volume — not necessarily pianissimo, but a definitely hushed tonal quality. Examples of sotto voce include:
- In the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem, in which the singers lower their volume for emphasis.[citation needed]
- At the beginning of the third movement of Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132, in which the strings play with a hushed quality before later playing with renewed strength.[citation needed]
- The second part of Chopin's Nocturne in C minor, Op 48 No 1, which is marked sotto voce e sostenuto; this is used to 'hold back the drama and keep us in suspense'.[3]
References[]
- ^ American Heritage Dictionary
- ^ Collins English Dictionary
- ^ "Nocturne in C minor, Op 48 No 1 - Hyperion Records - CDs, MP3 and Lossless downloads". www.hyperion-records.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
External links[]
Look up sotto voce in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Categories:
- Singing techniques
- Musical notation
- Musical instrument stubs
- Music theory stubs