sforzando

American  

[sfawrt-sahn-doh, sfawr-tsahn-daw] / sfɔrtˈsɑn doʊ, sfɔrˈtsɑn dɔ /

adjective

Music.

1. with force; emphatically.

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sforzando British  

/ sfɔːˈtsɑːndəʊ, sfɔːˈtsɑːtəʊ /

adjective

1.  sf.  to be played with strong initial attack

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noun

1. a symbol, mark, etc, such as >, written above a note, indicating this

Etymology

Origin of sforzando

1795–1805; < Italian, gerund of sforzare to show strength < Vulgar Latin *exfortiāre; effort

Example Sentences

Octaves in contrary motion smoked with ferocity in the Hindemith, and sforzandos in the Beethoven reintroduced audiences to the elemental wildness of a composer of repertory standards.

From New York Times

And “Hoe-Down” ends with three emphatic sforzando notes that flow without a pause in Peck’s dance into three soft ones, in a logical key change, at the start of “Appalachian Spring.”

From New York Times

They go through the whole movement, those trills, then the cluster chords with sforzandos, then you have a pianissimo progression.

From New York Times

The heroic opening heralded a propulsive interpretation, guided by hemiola rhythms but emphasized in mighty sforzando accents and thrillingly veering dynamics.

From New York Times

Here, “O King” is now the skeleton, although discernible through mainly by the irregular pinprick sforzandos that punctuated the original movement.

From Los Angeles Times