una corda

[ oo-nuh-kawr-duh; Italian oo-nah kawr-dah ]

adverb
  1. with the soft pedal depressed (a musical direction in piano playing).

Origin of una corda

1
1840–50; <Italian: literally, one string, since depressing the soft pedal shifts the hammers so as to strike only two (originally one) of the strings provided for each note

Words Nearby una corda

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

How to use una corda in a sentence

  • The closing measures, una corda and dolcissimo, afford a reminiscence of the haunting appeal of the chief melody.

    Music: An Art and a Language | Walter Raymond Spalding
  • A beautiful contrast may be made by playing the section in F major with the "una corda" pedal throughout.

    Music: An Art and a Language | Walter Raymond Spalding

British Dictionary definitions for una corda

una corda

/ (ˈuːnə ˈkɔːdə) /


adjective, adverb
  1. music (of the piano) to be played with the soft pedal depressed

Origin of una corda

1
Italian, literally: one string; the pedal moves the mechanism so that only one string of the three tuned to each note is struck by the hammer

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