Why do we use dynamics in music

Understanding dynamic markings begins at in the first stages of musical study. Equally, forte loud or strong or fortissimo are not directions to simply hammer the piano: in their solo piano music, for example, both Mozart and Beethoven often use forte or fortissimo directions to suggest a fuller, more orchestral sound.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. Adagietto arr. Tharaud for piano Alexandre Tharaud, piano. Schubert often uses a dynamic marking which is physically impossible to achieve on the piano — a crescendo or diminuendo on a single note.

This is drawn from string technique, and is, I think, another example of psychological dynamics, whereby Schubert employs this direction to create emotional or dramatic impact. Schubert is a master of dynamics, using them to convey the full gamut of emotions, from a whispered invocation to a scream of terror.

The dynamic music definitions will go from the softest to the loudest Italian terms. This means that in the music, a section would be played at certain volume level, then the next section at another volume, without any graduations or subtle changes in between. Over time, composers and technology developed so that changes in dynamics were used in pieces of music.

There are two main changes in dynamics terms — crescendo and decrescendo. A crescendo is when the music becomes gradually louder. A decrescendo, or diminuendo, is the opposite and is when the music becomes gradually softer in volume. The theme music to the movie — A Space Odyssey, composed by Strauss is a perfect example of changing dynamics used for a very dramatic effect. A sforzando is a sudden emphasis or accent. In this music, just before when the timpani sounds like they are marching really loudly, the orchestra suddenly gets very loud at the end of a slow crescendo, this is a good example of a sforzando!

Watch the video below and to listen to the constant changes in dynamics from very, very soft to very, very loud, plus a few sforzandos thrown in for good measure.

Dynamics in music are very important because they can add a lot of emotion to a piece of music. A composer may want a particular note to be louder than all the rest or may want the very beginning of a note to be loudest. Accents are markings that are used to indicate these especially strong-sounding notes. There are a few different types of written accents, but, like dynamics, the proper way to perform a given accent also depends on the instrument playing it, as well as the style and period of the music.

Some accents may even be played by making the note longer or shorter than the other notes, in addition to, or even instead of being, louder. The exact performance of each type of accent depends on the instrument and the style and period of the music, but the sforzando- and fortepiano-type accents are usually louder and longer, and more likely to be used in a long note that starts loudly and then suddenly gets much softer.

Caret-type accents are more likely to be used to mark shorter notes that should be stronger than unmarked notes. Skip to main content.