Una corda

As Printed on a Score

Printed beneath the piano staff (una corda, u.c.) where the soft pedal goes down; it lasts until tre corde (t.c.) or tutte le corde. It often stands beside pp, dolce or sotto voce, and in long passages may be repeated as a reminder (sempre una corda).

Abbreviations: u.c.

How Composers Use It

The soft pedal changes colour as much as volume: on a grand piano the action shifts so each hammer strikes fewer strings with a softer part of its felt, giving a veiled, distant tone. Use it for hushed, inward passages, and always mark the return to tre corde. It is not a substitute for a soft dynamic; write both.

Example

Liszt, “Waldesrauschen” (No. 1 of the 2 Konzertetüden, S. 145), piano, m. 1: “una corda.” with “Vivace.” and “dolciss.” at pp; “tre corde” follows at m. 15.

Related Terms