Semplice

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff, over a solo part or a vocal line, as a character word, often at the entry of a theme or joined to another direction (“dolce, semplice”, “con espressione e semplice”). It lasts until the next character word; bilingual editions may print German “schlicht” beside it.

How Composers Use It

Semplice asks for simplicity: little added rubato, no swells or affected expression, the line allowed to speak plainly. It is one of the most useful words a composer has, because it tells performers to stop interpreting a melody that is meant to sound artless, such as a folk-like tune. Pairing it with an expressive word (con espressione e semplice, nobilmente e semplice) is not a contradiction: it asks for feeling without display.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, second movement, clarinet, m. 1: “semplice” at p, under the movement’s heading “Andante”.

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