Trop

As Printed on a Score

Almost never printed alone: on scores it nearly always appears negated, in pas trop (not too), placed before the word it caps — Pas trop lent, pas trop vite. Its scope is the word it limits.

How Composers Use It

Trop names the danger, so on a score it is used to warn rather than to ask: pas trop lent tells the performer which way the music is likely to be misjudged. That makes it the French counterpart of non troppo. Use it when a heading word on its own (lent, vite) would invite an exaggeration you want to prevent, and let the qualified word carry the main instruction.

Related Terms