Con ira

As Printed on a Score

Printed beside a strong dynamic at an angry outburst; it is most at home in opera and song, above the vocal line. It colours the passage it opens and lapses at the next character direction.

How Composers Use It

Con ira asks for anger: harsh accents, biting attack, a hard-edged tone. It is narrower than furioso, which suggests wild frenzy, and less extreme than con rabbia (rage). In vocal music it usually underlines what the text already says, so use it where you want a sound the words alone would not produce. Instrumentally, pair it with explicit accents and dynamics; anger is a colour, not an articulation.

Related Terms