Laut

As Printed on a Score

Printed above a vocal line or near a part as a plain word for loud, roughly f; in concert scores it is rarer than stark or kräftig. It holds until another dynamic and may be qualified (sehr laut, immer lauter).

How Composers Use It

A blunt word: laut tells the performer to be loud without saying how the loudness should feel, which is why German composers more often choose stark, kräftig or a dynamic sign. Use it where plain loudness is the point — a shout, a call, a deliberately coarse effect — and add an accent or articulation if the attack matters.

Related Terms