Expressif

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the part with the expressive line, often beside a dynamic (p expressif) or combined: très expressif, doux et expressif, expressif en dehors. Abbreviated express., which is also used for the Italian espressivo. It lasts for the phrase it marks or until another character word replaces it.

Abbreviations: express.

Also spelled: expressive

How Composers Use It

The French espressivo: shape the line with the tone, timing and dynamic nuance a singer would give it. Because it can apply to almost anything, it means most when it is selective — on the melody rather than the accompaniment, at the phrase that matters. Debussy and Ravel often pair it with a specific quality (doux et expressif, très doux et très expressif), which tells the player what kind of expression to aim for.

Example

Satie, Socrate, “Les bords de l’Ilissus”, piano, m. 5: “expressif” at mf, in a movement whose piano part opens “chanté”.

Related Terms