Music is a form of art that appeals to our sensual sphere with the help of sounds. The language of sounds incorporates various elements that are called “means of musical expression” in professional terminology. One of these most important and powerful elements is the dynamics.
What is the dynamics
This word is familiar to everyone from the course of physics and is associated with the concepts of "mass", "strength", "energy", "motion". In music, it defines the same thing, but with respect to sound. Dynamics in music is the power of sound, it can also be expressed in terms of “quieter - louder”.
A game at the same sound level cannot be expressive, it quickly tires. On the contrary, a frequent change of dynamics makes music interesting, allowing you to convey a wide range of emotions.
If music is designed to express joy, triumph, glee, happiness - the dynamics will be bright and sonorous. To convey such emotions as sadness, tenderness, trepidation, penetration, light, soft, calm dynamics are used.
Methods for designating dynamics
Dynamics in music is what determines the volume level. There are very few notations for this, there are much more real gradations in the sound. So dynamic symbols should be considered only as a scheme, a direction of search, where each artist fully displays his imagination.
The level of dynamics is “loud” is indicated by the term “forte”, “quietly” - “piano”. This is common knowledge. “Quiet, but not too much” - “mezzo piano”; Not Too Loud - Mezzo Forte.
If the dynamics in music require reaching an extreme level, the nuances of “pianissimo” are used - very quietly; or "fortissimo" - very loud. In exceptional cases, the number of forte and piano icons can be up to five!
But even taking into account all the options, the number of characters for expressing the volume does not exceed the number 12. This is not a lot, considering that on a good piano you can extract up to 100 dynamic gradations!
Dynamic directions also include the terms “crescendo” (gradually increasing the volume) and the opposite term “diminuendo”.
Musical dynamics includes a number of symbols indicating the need to accentuate any sound or consonance:> ("accent"), sf or sfz (sharp accent - "sforzando"), rf or rfz ("rinforzando" - "amplifying") .
From harpsichord to piano
The surviving instances of harpsichords and clavichords allow us to imagine what dynamics is in the music of the Baroque era. The mechanics of the ancient predecessors of the piano did not allow changing the volume level gradually. For a sharp change in dynamics, there were additional keyboards (manuals) that could add overtones to the sound due to octave doubling.
A special system of levers and a foot keyboard on the organ made it possible to achieve a variety of tones and volume enhancement, but all the same, changes occurred suddenly. In relation to Baroque music, there is even a special term “terrace-like dynamics”, since the change in volume levels resembled the ledges of the terrace.
As for the amplitude of the dynamics, it was very small. The sound of the harpsichord, pleasant, silvery and quiet near, was almost inaudible at a distance of several meters. The sound of the clavichord was more harsh, with a metallic tint, but a little more sonorous.
This instrument was very loved by I.S. Bach for his ability, albeit to a barely noticeable degree, but still to change the level of dynamics depending on the strength of the fingers touching the keys. This made it possible to give the phrase a certain bulge.
The invention of the piano with its hammer system at the beginning of the 18th century revolutionized the possibilities of the keyboard instrument. Dynamics in music played on a modern piano has a huge number of gradations of sound and, most importantly, the availability of gradual transitions from one nuance to another.
Large and detailed dynamics
Large dynamics are usually expressed by the symbols outlined in the table. They are few, they are clear and definite.
However, the “inside” of each of these nuances can be a mass of more subtle sound gradations. No special notations were invented for them, however, these levels exist in real sound and it is they that make us reverently listen to the game of a talented performer.
Such small dynamics is called detailed. The tradition of its use originates in Baroque music (remember the possibilities of the clavichord).
Dynamics in music is one of the touchstones of performing art. It is the mastery of subtle nuance, its light, barely noticeable changes that distinguishes the game of a talented professional.
However, it is equally difficult to evenly distribute the amplification or attenuation of sonority when it is “stretched” over a large section of musical text.
Dynamics relativity
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the dynamics in music is a very relative concept, as, indeed, is everything else in our life. Each musical style and even each composer has its own dynamic scale, as well as its own characteristics in the application of nuances.
What sounds good in Prokofiev’s music is absolutely inapplicable in the performance of Scarlatti's sonatas. And the piano nuance in Chopin and Beethoven will sound very different.
The same applies to the degree of emphasis, the duration of maintaining the same level of dynamics, the way it is changed, and so on.
In order to master this means of musical expression at a good professional level, it is necessary, first of all, to study the game of great masters, to listen, analyze, think and draw conclusions.