sforzando

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

/ sfɔrtˈsɑn doʊ; Italian sfɔrˈtsɑn dɔ /

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adjective, adverb Music.

with force; emphatically.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also forzando.

Origin of sforzando

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

Words nearby sforzando

sferic, sferics, sfm, SFO, Sforza, sforzando, SFr., sfumato, SFW, SFX, sfz

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sforzando in a sentence

Victor had much difficulty in reading the notes readily and not confounding the terms adagio, presto, and sforzando.
Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2|Gustave Flaubert
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
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
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

The terms sforzando, forzando, sforzato and forzato all indicate a strong accent on a single tone or chord.
Music Notation and Terminology|Karl W. Gehrkens

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