Tristezza

As Printed on a Score

Usually printed as “con tristezza”, alone or after a tempo word (“Lento, con tristezza”), above the staff or vocal line at the head of a song or section. It sets mood rather than tempo or dynamic and lasts until the next character word.

Also spelled: con tristezza

How Composers Use It

Con tristezza asks for sadness in a plain, direct way, close to mesto and less pictorial than lacrimoso or piangendo. Delius and Warlock both head songs with it, and it suits a quiet, sorrowful setting whose harmony already carries the feeling. Pair it with a slow tempo word to fix the pace, as the phrase itself does not.

Example

Delius, “Il pleure dans mon cœur”, voice, m. 1: “Con tristezza” heads the setting, with p in the next bar.

Related Terms