mezzo-forte

Meanings

1. 1adverbmusic

   Play or sing at a medium-loud volume, louder than piano but softer than forte.

   Grammar: Used as a musical direction, often written above the staff as 'mf'; it modifies the whole passage, not a single word.

   Patterns

   • play mezzo-forte
   • sing mezzo-forte
   • marked mezzo-forte

   The conductor asked the strings to play mezzo-forte in the opening bars.

   In the second movement, the choir sings mezzo-forte before dropping to piano.

   The score is marked mezzo-forte, so don't play too loudly.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountablemusic

   A passage or note played at a medium-loud volume.

   Grammar: Can be countable ('a mezzo-forte') or uncountable ('play with mezzo-forte').

   Patterns

   • a mezzo-forte
   • the mezzo-forte
   • with mezzo-forte

   The dynamic marking is a mezzo-forte, not a forte.

   He played the whole phrase with a steady mezzo-forte.

Common combinations

mezzo-forte passage

The mezzo-forte passage in the middle of the song is easy to miss.

marked mezzo-forte

The entire section is marked mezzo-forte in the score.

play mezzo-forte

Try to play mezzo-forte until the chorus begins.

from piano to mezzo-forte

The music swells from piano to mezzo-forte.

Synonyms and how they differ

moderately loud

A plain English description; use it when explaining the term to someone who doesn't read music.

mf

The standard abbreviation; use it in written musical notes or when space is tight.

Opposites

Word family

mezzo adverb

In music, 'medium' or 'half', as in mezzo-piano.

forte adverb

Play loudly; the opposite end of the dynamic scale from piano.

mezzo-piano adverb

Play at a medium-soft volume, between piano and mezzo-forte.

Commonly confused: mezzo-forte or forte? mezzo-forte or mezzo?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “mezzo-forte”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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