pianissimo

American  

[pee-uh-nis-uh-moh, pyah-nees-see-maw] / ˌpi əˈnɪs əˌmoʊ, pyɑˈnis siˌmɔ /

adjective

1. very soft.

---

adverb

1. very softly.

noun

pianissimos plural

1. a passage or movement played in this way.

pianissimo British  

/ pɪəˈnɪsɪˌməʊ /

adjective

1.  pp.  music (to be performed) very quietly

---

pianissimo Cultural  

1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed very softly”; the opposite of fortissimo.

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• pianissimos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pianissimo

1715–25; < Italian, superlative of piano piano ²

Explanation

When a musician performs something pianissimo, she plays very softly. If you're playing a pianissimo piece on the piano, your fingers will be gentle on the keys. You can use this word as an adverb or an adjective — in either case, it's a specific musical direction regarding the dynamics (or loudness) of a piece of music. On sheet music, pianissimo is often marked pp, to distinguish it from piano, which is simply "soft," rather than "very soft," and is usually marked with one p. There is, in fact, an even quieter designation called pianississimo, that's "very very soft."

Example Sentences

Carmen D'Avino, 45, whose Pianissimo has been nominated for an Academy Award this year as best short subject, is a painter who learned cinematography as a photographer-historian during World War II.

From Time Magazine Archive

Quasi Una Fantasia Poco Andante Pianissimo AN OLD MAN sat quietly in his lawnchair, puffing contentedly on an expensive briar pipe and making corrections with a fountain pen on a thick sheaf of typewritten manuscript.

From Suite Mentale by Emshwiller, Ed

Pianissimo singing or playing does not imply a slower tempo, and in working with very soft passages the conductor must be constantly on guard lest the performers begin to "drag."

From Essentials in Conducting by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson

He could not possibly stay longer in this dark inclosure with his burning fancies, at this too great distance from the Pianissimo.

From Hesperus or Forty-Five Dog-Post-Days Vol. I. A Biography by Jean Paul

Pianissimo is one of the later things to teach.

From Piano Mastery Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers by Brower, Harriette