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Suddenly, at once. Usually paired with a dynamic — subito piano (sub. p), subito forte (sub. f) — or following another word, as in attacca subito or volti subito.
Printed directly beside the change it makes sudden — “subito p”, “sub. f”, “pp subito”, “attacca subito” — and applies at that instant only; the new level then stands until the next marking. It often follows a printed cresc., warning that the line does not taper but drops at once.
Abbreviations: sub.
Subito creates dramatic surprise through instant change. Subito piano after a crescendo is one of the most dramatic effects in music — the volume drops without warning. Use it for shock, humor, or structural surprise.
Mahler, Symphony No. 5, fourth movement (Adagietto), first violins, m. 58: “subito” with pp, straight after the preceding bar’s cresc. — the swell is cut off, not tapered.
Subito is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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