Pianissimo

As Printed on a Score

Printed below the staff (above it in vocal parts) as pp in bold italic; the full word appears mainly inside running directions such as sempre pianissimo. It lasts until the next dynamic or hairpin. Composers extend the scale with ppp and beyond and qualify it — pp sempre, subito pp — and in a score each part carries its own pp.

Abbreviations: pp

How Composers Use It

Pianissimo requires careful orchestration — at pp, many instruments lose projection and tone quality. When scoring pp passages, reduce the number of instruments and favor those that speak well softly (strings, flute in middle register, clarinet). Reserve ppp for special effects.

Example

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, transition from third to fourth movement — the pp timpani pulse creates unbearable tension before the blazing C major eruption.

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