Sehr laut

As Printed on a Score

Printed above a vocal line or near a part at a climax, standing for roughly ff. It lasts until a new dynamic appears.

How Composers Use It

Very loud, said plainly. It gives the level but nothing about tone, so it can provoke a forced sound from voices and strings. Most German scores prefer ff with a character word (wuchtig, mit Gewalt, mit voller Kraft) that says what kind of loudness is meant. Keep sehr laut for crowd effects, calls and deliberately raw moments.

Related Terms