Con eleganza

As Printed on a Score

Printed beside the dynamic or attached to a tempo word, and governs the passage until another character direction appears. The adjective elegante is used the same way.

How Composers Use It

Con eleganza asks for poise: clean, graceful phrasing, light accents, nothing exaggerated or sentimental. It is the cooler counterpart of con grazia — less charming, more polished — and suits dance-derived and neo-classical writing. Because it restrains rather than adds, combine it with a clear dynamic and articulation, and avoid it where the music needs abandon.

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