Deciso

As Printed on a Score

Printed beside the dynamic or attached to a tempo word — Allegro deciso — and in bilingual editions sometimes in parentheses beside a German equivalent (Bestimmt, entschieden). It colours the passage until the next character direction; nothing formally cancels it.

How Composers Use It

Deciso asks for decisiveness: firm, clear attacks and confident rhythm, with no hesitation at entries. It concerns character, not volume — Berg prints it at pp in his song “Nacht” — so add a dynamic. Its neighbours are risoluto (resolute, determined) and energico (vigorous); deciso is the plainest of the three. It is useful after a hesitant or rubato passage to restore a definite pulse.

Example

Berg, Sieben frühe Lieder, “Nacht”, piano, m. 21: “deciso” printed at pp, in the bar where the voice has “mezza voce” and “Etwas langsamer”.

Related Terms