sordino

[calisiciliana]

ciao a tutti!
I play piano and there is a piece with instructions in Italian. Happy to say, I had no problem translating it except, there is one word I don't know, and it's not in the online dictionary at all??:

la frase: si deve suonare tutto questo pezzo delicatissimamento e senza "sordino".

what is this word?


Grazie!!!
HB

 

[AlabamaBoy]

Wikipedia: Using contrivances for damping or muting wind, string and percussion instruments (sordino). In other words, what a mute is to a trumpet, a sordino is to wind, string and percussion.

I hope that was the right definition. I am not sure what it means for a piano. I can't imagine all of those felt pads lifted with the pedal for the whole piece. Unless there is a pedal to push the felt pads down harder.

 

[k_georgiadis]

Sordino is a mute, in a musical sense, a device used to soften or alter the musical tone.

 

[Antipodes]

Hello Calisiciliana,

In your case, playing the piano, sordino refers to the left pedal which dampens the sound.

 

[calisiciliana]

ohhhh yes, the left pedal... the mute pedal... that makes sense now!! haha

I hadn't even thought of that, because, well, at least everything i play rarely/never calls for it in the first place.... or maybe i just like to be loud

Thanks everyone!!

 

[arazzo]

ohhhh yes, the left pedal... the mute pedal... that makes sense now!! haha

I hadn't even thought of that, because, well, at least everything i play rarely/never calls for it in the first place.... or maybe i just like to be loud

Thanks everyone!!

Hi calisiciliana,

Just for the sake of those here who are learning English: it's more commonly referred to as the soft pedal.
Also, in musical scores, the more usual way for composers to indicate its use is: una corda -- this is because the soft pedal stops two out of the three strings (for each key) from sounding.
Good luck with playing the Moonlight Sonata 'senza sordini'! Most of us cheat just a tiny bit.

A. (pianista)

 

[calisiciliana]

haha wow arazzo, fantastico! -I guess that particular notation stood out not just to me !

*oh and thanks for the explanation of the pedal usage*
I've played for a long time, but oddly enough, I never learned Moonlight (a classic to be sure)- actually did the 3rd movement, but never the 1st, so I'm making up for lost time!

it must be the italian in me- ma preferisco suonare musica "appassionatamente" piu' di "delicatissimamento" (mi piace il blues e jazz piu' di tutto)

grazie!
HB

 

[arazzo]

haha wow arazzo, fantastico! -I guess that particular notation stood out not just to me !

*oh and thanks for the explanation of the pedal usage*

You're welcome, but now I'm wondering, after reading a thread ("in sordina") in Solo Italiano, why it is not "senza sordina / sordine"? (Grazie a Necsus per il link):

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sordina

I've played for a long time, but oddly enough, I never learned Moonlight (a classic to be sure)- actually did the 3rd movement, [benissimo!] but never the 1st, so I'm making up for lost time!

it must be the italian in me- ma preferisco suonare musica "appassionatamente" piu' di "delicatissimamento" (mi piace il blues e jazz piu' di tutto)

Forse puoi comporre la tua versione, "Moonlight Jazz", con l'indicazione:
"Si deve suonare tutto questo pezzo appassionatamente" ?

grazie!
HB

Happy practising!