What does leggiero imply?
The phrase leggiero is Italian for ‘mild’ or ‘frivolously’. The time period is used on a musical rating – usually in relation to swift passages – to point the musician ought to play the related part with a lightweight, delicate and sleek contact.
Whereas phrases regarding a chunk of music’s dynamics – i.e., its energy of sound (how quietly or loudly the piece is carried out) – akin to ‘piano’ (softly) or ‘pianissimo’ (very softly) may also introduce a ‘gentler’ temper to the music, such phrases don’t embody the just about ethereal high quality that leggiero calls for.
Extra musical phrases defined
For instance, when enjoying the piano or a stringed instrument, such because the violin, leggiero would require solely minimal strain be utilized to the keys or strings, producing a extra delicate sound than merely enjoying ‘quietly’. Leggiero will be utilized to legato or staccato sections however is most probably to be included in sections of music marked as having a softer or quieter dynamic profile.
Examples of leggiero
Grieg’s Outdated Norwegian Romance (Opus 51) and Mendelssohn’s Tune With out Phrases No 2 (Opus 67) are simply two classical items that function the leggiero method.