Col

As Printed on a Score

Appears inside phrases before a noun (“col legno”, “col arco”, “colla parte”, “colla voce”, “coll’ottava”); colla is the feminine and coll’ the elided form. Each phrase keeps its own scope: col legno until arco or ord., colla parte or colla voce until a tempo.

Also spelled: colla, coll’, coll'

How Composers Use It

Col (with the) names what to use or follow: col legno (with the wood of the bow), col pedale, coll’ottava (with the octave added), colla voce and colla parte (follow the soloist’s timing). The colla forms matter most in accompaniment, where they tell the accompanist to yield to the singer or soloist, so mark a tempo where strict time resumes. Keep the noun next to col; on its own the word means nothing.

Example

Elgar, “A Song of Autumn”, piano, m. 13: “colla voce”, after “dim.” in m. 12, with “a tempo” following at m. 15.

Related Terms