fortissimo means indicating that the piece is to be played very loudly.
fortissimo is pronounced /fɔːˈtɪsɪməʊ/.
Why “fortissimo” is a great word
A musical direction indicating that a passage is to be played very loudly. From Italian fortissimo, the superlative of forte (“strong, loud”). Unlike forte, which demands a robust and pronounced loudness, or pianissimo, which retreats to the edge of audibility, fortissimo commands an ultimate, unignorable force. It is the brass section erupting like a volcanic summit, the timpani striking with the force of a sudden storm, and the final, collective crash of a symphony’s closing chord—a sanctioned and necessary violence against silence, the moment when music threatens to dissolve into the mere, undeniable fact of sound.
adv
- Indicating that the piece is to be played very loudly.e.g.“(abbreviation) ff”
noun
- The dynamic sign indicating that the piece should be played fortissimo.
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