Niente

From Justapedia, unleashing the power of collective wisdom
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Niente (Italian pronunciation: [ˈnjɛnte]), also called quasi niente [ˈkwaːzi ˈnjɛnte], is a musical dynamic often used at the end of a piece to direct the performer to fade the music away to little more than a bare whisper, normally gradually with a diminuendo,[1] al niente.[2] It is often written as "Music-diminuendo.svgn" or "Music-diminuendo.svgø". It is also used to direct the performer to fade into a note without any articulation at the beginning of the note, known as dal niente (from nothing): "nMusic-crescendo.svg".

Niente is distinct from a rest "in that [during niente] the musician is engaged in making sound but so softly that the sound can not be heard."[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Collins Encyclopedia of Music, p. 379. ISBN 0-907486-50-9
  2. ^ Bauer, Helen (2009). Young People's Guide to Classical Music, p.32. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9781574671810.
  3. ^ Zimmerman, Joyce Ann (2010). Silence: Everyday Living and Praying, p.63n8. Liturgy Training Publications. ISBN 9781568549026.