Fortepiano

Fortepiano, notated as fp, is a compound dynamic marking: the note is attacked at forte and immediately reduced to piano. The effect is a sudden burst followed by an instant drop in volume, often used at the start of a long held note.

The gesture is dramatic and instantly recognizable. The performer plays a sharp, loud attack — then the moment after the attack is complete, the dynamic falls to piano and stays there. The held tone fades into the texture rather than ringing through.

Fortepiano is common throughout the Classical and early Romantic repertoire, where it provides a way to articulate strongly without committing to a sustained loud dynamic. Beethoven uses it constantly. Confusingly, the word ‘fortepiano’ is also the historical name of the early piano (the keyboard instrument) — but in score markings, fp always refers to the dynamic effect.

Italian, ‘loud-soft’ — forte + piano. The compound describes the two-stage dynamic.

The drop must be immediate. Many performers fail by easing into the piano dynamic over a beat or two — the marking calls for an instant fall, almost like a hairpin compressed into a single moment.