Definition

Adverb * Very soft: A musical direction indicating that a passage should be played or sung with an extremely low volume, softer than pianissimo alone.

Usage

This term is used almost exclusively as a dynamic marking in written music to instruct the performer on volume. It is an intensification of the standard musical term pianissimo (very soft).

Examples

• The composer marked the final, haunting melody pianissimo assai.
• For this section, the score reads "pianissimo assai," so the strings must play with the utmost delicacy.
• The choir's entrance was pianissimo assai, creating a sense of distant, ethereal sound.

Advanced Usage

• As a descriptive term: While primarily an instruction, it can be used descriptively in music criticism or discussion.
  • The pianist's interpretation of the closing bars was pianissimo assai, almost inaudible yet profoundly moving.

Variants and Related Words

• Pianissimo (pp): (adverb/adjective) Very soft. The base term which intensifies.
• Piano (p): (adverb/adjective) Soft.
• Pianississimo (ppp): (adverb/adjective) Very, very soft. A more common alternative marking for an extreme level of softness, similar in meaning to .
• Assai: (adverb) An Italian word meaning "very" or "extremely," used in combination with other musical terms (e.g., : very fast).

Synonyms

• Very softly
• Extremely quietly
• With utmost softness

Antonyms

• Fortissimo (very loud)
• Forte (loud)
• Fortissimo assai (very, very loud)

Adjective

1. chiefly a direction or description in music; very soft