Musical Definitions
- Pianissimo
play very softly. - Sotto Voce
'Under voice' in Italian means to speak under one's breath. In music, a dramatic lowering of the vocal or instrumental tone . not necessarily pianissimo, but with a hushed quality. An example of Sotto voce is in the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. The singers lower their volume in order to attain the 'hushed' quality desired.