Loading…
Loading…
Always, continuously. Sempre piano = remain soft throughout. Sempre legato = always connected.
Sempre ensures a marking persists over an extended passage. Without it, performers may gradually relax the instruction. "Sempre pp" reminds them to maintain the pianissimo even as the music becomes more intense.
Debussy writes "sempre pp" in "Clair de lune" — the entire middle section should remain hushed despite the rising figurations.
Sempre is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
Browse the full dictionary →