Dämpfer

As Printed on a Score

Printed over brass and string parts inside commands — mit Dämpfer, Dämpfer auf, Dämpfer ab, ohne Dämpfer — and abbreviated Dpf. in many twentieth-century scores (m. Dpf., o. Dpf.). On the piano the Dämpfer are the dampers lifted by the right pedal.

Abbreviations: Dpf.

Also spelled: Dämpfern

How Composers Use It

A mute changes tone more than volume: muted strings sound veiled and distant, muted brass thin, nasal or menacing depending on mute and dynamic. Plan time to fit and remove it, and write both mit Dämpfer and ohne Dämpfer. For brass, name a mute type if you want something other than the standard straight mute; Mahler even asks for muted trumpets at fff, where the sound turns strident.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, fifth movement (Rondo-Finale), trumpets: “mit Dämpfer.” at m. 163 and “Dämpfer ab.” at m. 307 — the noun in both commands.

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