Deutlich

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a part — often a single instrument or section — where articulation or a line must come through; Mahler adds force with “aber deutlich!”. It lasts for the passage concerned.

How Composers Use It

Clearly, distinctly: every note articulated and audible, especially in soft or muted passages where detail blurs. It is a balance and articulation cue rather than a dynamic — Mahler asks muted horns for it, and with aber (‘but clearly’) it qualifies whatever restraint comes before. Use it where a figure risks being lost, and pair it with the dynamic you actually want.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, first movement, horns, m. 378: “deutlich”, a bar after “mit Dämpfern”; two bars later the snare drum is marked “aber deutlich!”.

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