IBEMD - Brazilian Institute of Distance Music Education

Dynamics, Agogics, Shades, and Expression

Musical

Valdeque of Conception
 Dynamics
Dynamics, in music, have the same
meaning of the Greek word Dynamus
(force): means the degree of "strength", or
intensity, applied to a note or
musical excerpt to sound in a way
softer or stronger, according to
the indications of the composer.

Therefore, musical dynamics refers to

process of intensity change in the
execution of notes or musical excerpts in
course of the play, giving greater
expressiveness to music.
Signs of Dynamics
pppmolto pianissimo (very very soft)
pppianissimo (very soft)
soft piano
mezzo-piano
medium loud
strong
fortissimo
very very strong
 Signs of dynamic variation

Gradually increasing the volume

or intensity:

Gradually decreasing the volume

or intensity:

Sudden accentuation of the marked note

(sforzato):
Tempo, agogic or musical kinetic

Musical Tempo or Kinetics (from Greek kinetic=)

movement), also called deagogic, is the
study of the speed with which a piece must be
executed.

The termagógic comes from the Greek verb ágo.

it means to drive, walk, lead. The term was created
by the German musicologist Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo
Riemann (1849-1919), in 1884, to designate the
time fluctuations introduced in the execution of
a musical composition, with the aim of leaving a
margin of expression to the interpreter.

Orubatoé is a specific term for loosening.

of time, which leaves a certain margin of freedom for
to break the progress of a certain section
musical, but it must be used with caution.
Progress indications

Composers use technical terms in Italian to indicate the

progressions, which are written at the beginning and throughout a score.
The most well-known, from the slowest to the fastest, are:

Very serious: Less than 40 beats per minute (bpm). Extremely

slow.
Bass: 40 to 48 bpm. Very slow; bass; serious; too much
vagabond
Slow: from 48 to 58 bpm. Slow, very sluggish;
Larghetto: from 59 to 65 bpm. A little faster than largo.
Adagio: from 66 to 72 bpm. Slow; calm; slowly
Andante: from 73 to 80 bpm. In a calm pace; walking
Andantino: from 80 to 95 bpm. A little faster than andante.
Moderate: from 96 to 104 bpm. Moderate speed; moderately.
Allegretto: from 105 to 120 bpm. Faster than moderato and more.
slow that I arrived
Allegro: from 121 to 140 bpm. Fast; quick
Vivace: from 141 to 168 bpm. Vivo; with liveliness;
Presto: from 169 to 180 bpm. Very fast; very quick
Prestissimo: from 181 to 208 bpm. As fast as possible
Metronome indication

The time markings in bpm can be

better defined with the assistance of
a metronome, a mechanism of watchmaking
specifically built to define a
constant pulse. The values associated with each
the progress are just estimates. Some
composers can set different values.
For example, it is not uncommon that in a
score or allegro defined at 120 bpm.
The indication of accelerating or extending means
that a musical piece should start slow and go
gradually increasing in speed until
stay quick; the opposite of this is given by the
retarding or slowing down.
Nuances de andamento

The music can also present some nuances.

in progress, enriching itself with greater
expressiveness.
These nuances are represented with different words.
adverbiais italianas comopoco;poco a poco;piu(mais);
{"poco piu":"a little more","ma non tanto":"but not that much"}
non tropo(não muito),assai(muito),quase (quase),
meno(menos),poco meno,sempre,abbastanza
(bastante),moderato(moderado),mosso(movimentado),
such as in the indication "allegro ma non
too much.
 Musical expression
Expression in music is the set of all characteristics and
indications of a musical composition that help to infer
feelings, states of soul, and that can vary according to the
interpretation.
The expression encompasses variations of rhythm (musical kinetics) and
of intensity (musical dynamics), as well as the way in which the
notes are touched individually (accentuation
- staccato, tenuto legato) or together (articulation or phrasing).
In general, the composer of the musical work provides in the score the
indications of expected execution, but two interpreters never
they will perform the music in the same way. Even between two performances
pelo mesmo intérprete, podem ocorrer pequenas variações. Essas
variations are not failures; on the contrary, they are expected, and it is the expression
what is the difference between a mechanical execution, excessively precise, and
a good interpretation that manages to convey
the emotions planned by the composer and also those of the composer himself
interpreter.
Signs of expression
In musical notation, there is a set of indications
of expression that, when combined, allow the interpreter
to understand the composer's intention when creating a certain
musical piece. The expression signs are quite useful
when one wishes to achieve the closest interpretation
from the original conception.

Generally, expression indications are used

along with the indication of progress at the beginning of the composition,
of the movement or of a section, and provide a
generic indication of the climate that should prevail
execution. These indications may also occur
in isolation.
Like most terms in musical notation, the
expression marks are almost always written
in Italian.
Expression guidance

Term Meaning Most frequent proceedings

with affection, with
Affectionate andante, adagio, largo
feeling

With vigor or With spirit with vigor, with spirit {"allegro":"fast, lively","moderato":"moderate","andante":"walking pace"}

Cantabile singing, lyrical, light {"allegro":"fast","moderato":"moderate","andante":"walking pace"}

Lively lively (light and fast) lively

majestic (note well
Majestic andante, adagio
marcadas)
sweet (light and with
Sweet ["moderate","walking","slow"]
feeling
agitated (fast and
Agitated fast, cheerful, moderately fast
dramatic
Animated animated fast, cheerful
sudden (very
Abruptly fast, very fast
marked)
Accentuation and articulation

Just like in the reading of a poem, we have verses that

they obey the metric and are divided according to the
punctuation, in music we must unite the notes in small
groups that form a complete musical idea. These
groups are called phrases, and the way phrases are
Arrangements along the music are called phrasing.
In general, in vocal music, each phrase corresponds to the
phrases of the text and allow singers to breathe and express
the ideas of the lyrics without interrupting them in points
inadequate. In instrumental music, although there is no
letter, the function of the sentences is similar: it allows that the
listener notice the structure and the linking of the themes and
the development of the piece.
What allows to distinguish the sentences in the song is the connection
the separation of each note in relation to the neighboring notes. The
the performer can infer the phrasing during the study of
work, but when the composer wishes to convey with
to achieve the desired phrasing, he can use marks
of articulation or of accentuation.
Accent signs
Accents are another way to work with the nuances of
dynamic. The most common accents found in
sheet music is:
The Marcato: a note played with great vigor. It is given by
signal ">".
The Sforzato, indicated by '^', represents an accentuation.
sharp of the note where it is marked.

The Staccato: the note is emphasized, losing part of its

time. It is usually indicated by a dot above the
note. The dry, or real, staccato is given by a small
a pointer indicating the note. It is also a sign of articulation of the
notes, just like the line of Legato.
Tenuto: indicates that the note should sound for its full value.
being slightly accented. It is indicated by a “-”
above the note.
What a hassle
Quiálteras are groups of time figures that appear
in a greater or lesser number than expected by
standard of the meter, but the musical effect surpasses this
my theoretical interpretation.
As quelas allow for greater fluency and variation within
of the rhythm metric, whose effect is that of a 'break' or
variation, allowing in a certain time of a
simple meter that sounds as if it were composed or,
on the contrary, reducing the time of a pulse of a
compound meter, as if it were simple (or
even in a simple time signature, causing an effect of
delay). This helps to give a more natural feeling and
less mathematics to a piece or excerpt of a piece
musical.
As such, they can be augmentative, if the
the number of notes is greater than that of the standard subdivision, or
diminutives, if the figures are in a smaller number than the
expected by the normal subdivision of the measure. They are
used as a device to provide more fluidity or
differentiation in the musical piece, in its rhythmic sense.
Bibliography

Delta Encyclopedia - Larousse (1967). Delta Publishing, Rio

of January.
Content of classes 68 to 71 of the Music Theory Course
do IBEMD.
Wikipedia.