Dynamics (music)

In music, dynamics (from the Greek dýnamis, "power, strength") refers to the study of loudness or tonal strength (physically: loudness) and the use of different loudness levels as a means of shaping musical performance. Loudness depends on the amplitude of the vibration that produces the sound. A distinction is made in music between

• uniform volume levels (steps) - also in the form of echodynamics or terrace dynamics,
• smooth changes in volume (transitions, transition dynamics),
• abrupt changes in volume (accents).

Dynamics instructions in sheet music are usually in Italian; since the 19th century, however, indications have also been found in the composer's own language.

Different note strengths are executed differently on different musical instruments: on stringed instruments the pressure, the speed of the bow stroke, as well as the stroke point are changed, wind instruments vary the pressure and also the amount of air flow. The dynamics of plucked and percussion instruments, as with the piano, are determined by the hardness of the attack.

In modern notation, the pitch is indicated with italic letters and signs below the staff. Only in music for voices is the dynamic usually indicated above the staff, while below the staff is the vocal text.

In some cases, especially in the (quasi-"hyperexpressivist" notated) music of many late Romantic composers (such as Gustav Mahler) or also some Expressionists, the desired tonal strength or change of expression is also indicated by written-out instructions such as "bring out", "somewhat more tenderly" or also English "bring out" etc. This is occasionally the practice today. This is occasionally still the practice today. Expressive terms such as dolce or marcato, which are often used or added to the basic expressive strengths (such as forte or pianissimo), also provide additional information about the type of performance and thus dynamics desired by the composer. With ma non troppo (it.: "but not too much"), dynamic designations can also be slightly softened (e.g. forte ma non troppo for a somewhat softened forte).

Dynamic terms can also be used substantively: "the forte" can designate that part of a piece of music which is to be performed with great volume. Likewise, one can speak of a "tremendous orchestral crescendo".

While pitches, for example, can be precisely defined (in Hz), dynamic parameters are subject to subjective influences. The dynamic level piano can be played just as loudly in another context as a mezzoforte. The correct dynamic performance of a piece of music therefore always depends on the correct contextual proportioning.

Uniform volume levels in music

The most commonly used tonal strengths or degrees of tonal strength in Western music are designated by the following Italian abbreviations (ordered from soft to loud):

piano

("quiet", "soft", "gentle"), abbreviation , is the instruction for a quiet tone strength.

forte

("strong", "loud", "powerful"), abbreviation , is the instruction for a loud and powerful tone strength.

Using the letter like mezzo ("medium", "half") softens the statement: (mezzoforte) means "medium" or "half" and is slightly quieter than while (mezzopiano, "medium quiet" or "semi-quiet") is slightly louder than .

To increase and the letter can be doubled: is fortissimo ("very loud" or very strong) and pianissimo ("very soft"). In music up to 1800, these are the volume extremes; in the Romantic period, (fortissimo possibile, fortissimo forte, forte fortissimo or fortississimo - as strong as possible) and (pianissimo piano, piano pianissimo or pianissimo possibile - as soft as possible) also appeared, and more rarely, even more letters were added together: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky prescribes his Symphonie Pathétique at the loudest point and at the softest; György Ligeti sometimes even uses eightfold piano or forte, but these nuances are hardly executable.

For the above reasons, in practically executable music usually only indications from to notated. Specifically, the desired volume of the forte can then be indicated with accent marks, marcato marks, or an or added to the dynamics mark (i.e., s f (e.g. or ) can be increased even further.

The eight basic levels of dynamics

Sliding changes in volume

The word crescendo (cresc. , "growing") in the sense of "increasing in strength" prescribes a gradual increase in volume. The opposite of this is diminuendo (dim. , "diminishing") or also decrescendo (decresc. ), which in the sense of "decreasing in tonal strength" requires a softening. This is often followed by a dynamic designation indicating the end of the change and the dynamic to be achieved.

Instead of the terms cresc. or dim. one often finds so-called forks, which open from the quietest to the loudest part, or vice versa, close from the loudest to the quietest. For becoming quieter to soundlessness (al niente, "to nothingness") or becoming louder from silence (dal niente, "from nothingness") there are occasionally closing or opening forks, respectively, which have at their tip an or else carry a small circle.

The instruction subito (sub. , "suddenly", "immediately") requires an abrupt transition from one level to another, often used as a surprising effect: subito piano, for example, means a sudden transition from loud to soft.

The terms più (more) and meno (less) denote a change from the currently valid dynamic level. più forte means a stronger forte than before, meno piano means less piano, i.e. somewhat louder. Deviations from this interpretation can be found, for example, in Hugo Distler, who would like meno piano to be interpreted as less than piano, i.e. even quieter.

Crescendo and decrescendo fork