Chiuso

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a horn note or passage, often with + over each note; o or aperto cancels it. Stopped notes are written at their normal transposed pitch, and the player corrects for the rise the hand causes. In percussion, chiuso (or +) over a hi-hat means the cymbals held closed.

How Composers Use It

Hand-stopping gives a pinched, distant tone when soft and a snarling, metallic edge when forced — a late-Romantic colour for menace or mystery. Stopped notes are hard in the low register and awkward in fast passages, so use them on held notes and short figures. For a distant horn without the buzz, write con sordino instead; the two sound different.

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