Frullato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as frullato or frull., usually over notes that also carry tremolo slashes through the stem. It lasts for the marked notes or passage until ord., naturale or a change of articulation.

Abbreviations: frull.

How Composers Use It

Rolling the tongue — or gargling in the throat, for players who cannot roll an r — breaks the tone into a rapid buzz. Flutes manage it easily, brass sound raw and aggressive, and double reeds find it harder; very low and very high notes are the most difficult. Use it for colour and menace, and always add the word: the slashes alone could be read as measured repetition.

Related Terms