Leggiero

As Printed on a Score

Printed below the staff as leggiero or legg., often with staccato or a soft dynamic (p leggiero, staccato e leggiero), and sometimes spelled leggero. It applies to the passage it introduces until a contrary word such as pesante, marcato or legato.

Abbreviations: legg., legg

Also spelled: Leggero

How Composers Use It

Leggiero asks for feather-light playing — barely touching the keys or strings. Use it for filigree passages, delicate runs, and ornamental figures that should float above the texture.

Example

Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 (“From the New World”), fourth movement, first violins, m. 145: “leggiero” at pp.

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