What Is Forte In Music? Clear Definition & Examples

As we mentioned, forte by definition means loud or strong and is represented by the marking,  f. In music, this is a directive in compositions that indicates certain passages to be played or performed loudly.

Forte provides contrast to music by giving variation in loudness between notes or phrases. It’s objective shows composers, instrumentalists, and singers how soft or loud the music played will be. 

The symbol of forte is often displayed with other symbols that refer to the music being played from soft to loud or from loud to soft, or also known as crescendo and decrescendo. 

The opposing symbol to forte is p or piano, which means soft. This notation emphasizes that music marked in a passage should be considerably quieter than  f.

These musical notations are written or printed to indicate Dynamics in music. Music dynamics are a crucial part of your music, whether you are studying music, becoming a singer, or learning to play an instrument. 

Before we can discuss forte in depth, we must first understand the meaning and purpose of dynamics in music — as the two elements work in conjunction together within a music piece. 

Dynamics refers to the volume of a sound or note and is represented by marking within a passage. The two basic dynamic markings in music are:

• f or forte, meaning loud or strong.

• p or piano, meaning quiet.

The execution of dynamics indicates a change in loudness or softness as the music passage is played. It’s determined by how strongly a musician would press the keys of their instrument or use their voice to deliver a note.

Used effectively, dynamics help musicians sustain variety and interest in a musical performance, and communicate a particular emotional state or feeling. Dynamics are one of the expressive elements of music, as it evokes emotion and communication between the musician and the audience. 

Dynamics work to give a piece of music its distinctive character. Any change in the music dynamics will greatly affect how the music feels and how it’s interpreted by the audience.

These dynamic markings within music are always relative. Meaning, f never indicates a precise level of loudness, it merely indicates that the marked music passage should be considerably louder than f. 

There are many factors affecting the interpretation of a dynamic marking. Some voices will naturally be louder than others and some instruments register louder than others.

For example, a trumpet is louder than a piano, so even if a piano is set to play a note in forte, it would still sound softer or lower. Likewise, a guitar playing a forte would still be lower than a tuba playing a piano note.

The basic dynamic indications are piano and forte. Piano means quiet or soft and is indicated by p, while forte means loud or strong and is marked by f.

In addition to these 2 basic dynamic degrees, musicians use other more subtle degrees in music notation to express emotions and loudness:

As you now know, dynamics give contrast to the loudness and softness of a musical piece. The combination of these different dynamics changes the mood and the emotions in a single musical phrase and adds character to every musical composition that includes them.

When playing music and experimenting with dynamics, the performer has slight freedom with their own interpretation and execution dynamics. This allows the musician to improvise and have more of a personal creative expression throughout their performance. 

Dynamics are what give a particular feeling to the listener when music is played. In movies for example, the auditory element is just as important as the visual element. The music in film is essential to triggering an audience’s emotion and reaction.

The dynamics used in music build character to a piece of work and give depth to the listening experience. Whether it be a soft, melodic intro that makes you feel peaceful or a loud intense build up that gives you excitement — this is all done through music dynamics. 

Music is the world’s universal language and is naturally a mood enhancer — which makes it a crucial part of of the film industry. Movie scores are the perfect way to examine dynamics and recognize the effect it has on the listener. Below are some examples of dynamics being used in famous movies and songs: