all' ottava
[ahl uh-tah-vuh; Italian ahl-lawt-tah-vah]
- a direction (8va), placed above or below the staff to indicate that the passage covered is to be played one octave higher or lower respectively.
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Origin of all' ottava
1815–25; < Italian: literally, at the octave
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018