Discrètement

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or over a part, often for a line that should stay in the background. It sets a manner for the passage until another character marking appears; it is not a dynamic, so a p or pp normally accompanies it.

Also spelled: discretement

How Composers Use It

It asks the performer to be unobtrusive: present but not drawing attention, without emphasis or swelling. Use it for accompanying lines, inner voices, or a vocal line that should recede beneath the texture for a moment, as Debussy does after a p in a lively song. Because it describes manner, supply the dynamic level too.

Example

Debussy, Ariettes oubliées, “Chevaux de bois”, voice, m. 31: “discrètement”, following a p in the bar before.