tranquillo

American  

[tran-kwi-loh, -kwee-loh] / ˌtrænˈkwɪ loʊ, -ˈkwi loʊ /

adverb

1. Music. in a calm style that suggests tranquility.

---

adjective

1. Music. played in a calm and tranquil style.

Explanation

Some passages of music are tense and exciting, while others are tranquillo — calm, quiet, and relaxed. Tranquillo is the word used to mark those calmer passages in the sheet music for performers. Tranquillo is Italian, but it looks similar to the English word tranquil, meaning "peaceful, quiet, and serene." That's because both come from the Latin word tranquillus, which has the same meaning. Tranquillo can be used as an adverb, as in "Play the next several bars tranquillo," an adjective, as in "There’s a tranquillo passage in the middle of the piece," or a noun, as in "Let's take it from the beginning of the tranquillo."

Example Sentences

The most important thing in this moment is that you catch the molto tranquillo just before she says the line, so that it’s very, very quiet and kind of spooky.

From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2015

And because each apartment has a striking wood-burning stove, every busy day out can be followed by some cozy tranquillo time in.

From Time Magazine Archive

And presently, piu tranquillo, comes the fervent lyric song that may indeed be the chief theme in poetic import, if not in outer rank.

From Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies by Goepp, Philip H.

La mattinà lo trovai tranquillo, e con una espressione di religiosa rassegnazione nel suo volto.

From Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 5 With His Letters and Journals by Moore, Thomas

Neque enim unquam intemiscunt terre, nisi sopito mari, coeloque adeo tranquillo, ut volatus avium non pendeant, subtracto omni spiritu qui vehit; nec unquam nisi post ventos conditos, scilicet in venas et cavernas ejus occulto afflatu.

From COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Humboldt, Alexander von