Meaning & use
mezzo-piano
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Meanings
adverbnot comparablemusic
Played at a fairly quiet level, louder than piano but softer than mezzo forte.
Grammar: Written mp above the notes in a score.
Patterns
- play mezzo-piano
- marked mezzo-piano
The second verse should be played mezzo-piano.
The composer marked the passage mezzo-piano.
She sang the opening mezzo-piano.
nouncountablemusicrare
A passage of music played at a fairly quiet level.
Grammar: Rare as a noun; usually used as a direction.
Patterns
- a mezzo-piano
The orchestra settled into a gentle mezzo-piano.
The piece begins with a hushed mezzo-piano.
A soft mezzo-piano followed the loud climax.
Common combinations
- marked mezzo-piano
- The opening bars are marked mezzo-piano.
- play mezzo-piano
- Play the melody mezzo-piano and let the bass lead.
- mezzo-piano dynamic
- A mezzo-piano dynamic gives the line warmth.
- from mezzo-piano to forte
- The music swells from mezzo-piano to forte.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moderately soft
- Moderately soft is the plain English meaning, whereas mezzo-piano is the Italian score direction.
- mp
- mp is the written abbreviation seen in sheet music.
- quietly
- Quietly is general, while mezzo-piano is a precise level.
Opposites
Word family
- piano adverb
- softly
- mezzo-forte adverb
- moderately loud
- pianissimo adverb
- very softly
- forte adverb
- loudly
Commonly confused: mezzo-piano or piano?
mezzo-piano vs piano
Piano means soft in a score, but it is also the instrument. Mezzo-piano is a little louder than plain piano.
Practice
Which direction means moderately quiet, louder than piano?
Choose one answer.
Mezzo-piano is moderately soft. Pianissimo is very soft, and fortissimo and mezzo-forte are loud.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mezzo-piano”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.