Leggerissimo

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the staff, often at the very start of a piece or passage and usually with pp; older editions spell it leggierissimo. It holds until another articulation or character word, or a heavier dynamic.

Also spelled: leggierissimo

How Composers Use It

As light as possible: the touch nearly weightless, the sound transparent. It suits rapid figuration that should shimmer rather than speak note by note — Chopin, Liszt and Debussy all write it for murmuring accompaniments and filigree. Give the player a soft dynamic to match; leggierissimo at f is a contradiction.

Example

Debussy, Ariettes oubliées, “Green”, piano, m. 1: “leggierissimo” at pp, in the song’s first bar.

Related Terms