sforzando

[ sfawrt-sahn-doh; Italian sfawr-tsahn-daw ]

/ sfɔrtˈsɑn doʊ; Italian sfɔrˈtsɑn dɔ /

adjective, adverb Music.

with force; emphatically.

Nearby words

sferic, sferics, sfm, sfo, sforza, sforzando, sfr., sfumato, sfw, sfx, sfz

Also forzando.

Origin of sforzando

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sforzando

In the second theme, which begins in the 44th measure, note the piquant dissonances coupled with sforzando accents.
Music: An Art and a Language|Walter Raymond Spalding
Every note marked long in pianoforte music is therefore essentially a sforzando followed by a rapid diminuendo.
Twentieth Century Inventions|George Sutherland
So often as a Sforzando occured, he tore his arms which he had previously crossed upon his breast, with great vehemence asunder.
Louis Spohr's Autobiography|Louis Spohr
Again a sforzando chord rang out, again came the jarring response.
An American Girl in Munich|Mabel W. Daniels

At the first sforzando he threw out his arms so wide asunder, that he knocked both the lights off the piano upon the ground.
Louis Spohr's Autobiography|Louis Spohr

British Dictionary definitions for sforzando

sforzando

sforzato (sfɔːˈtsɑːtəʊ)

/ (sfɔːˈtsɑːndəʊ) music /

adjective, adverb

to be played with strong initial attackAbbreviation: sf

noun

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

Word Origin for sforzando

C19: from Italian, from sforzare to force, from ex- 1 + forzare, from Vulgar Latin fortiāre (unattested) to force 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012