Rinforzando

Rinforzando, notated as rinf. or rfz, instructs the performer to reinforce — that is, to play with sudden additional emphasis. It is similar to sforzando but typically less explosive: rinforzando emphasizes a note or short passage with a weight and presence rather than a sharp attack.

The distinction between sforzando and rinforzando is one of degree and duration. Sforzando is a punctual, percussive accent on a single note. Rinforzando can affect several notes — a chord, a short motive, a brief passage — and the emphasis is more sustained, more weight than impact.

Rinforzando appears throughout the Classical and Romantic repertoire. Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann use it for moments of expressive emphasis where a sforzando would be too sharp. The marking is rarer in modern scores, where editors often substitute sforzando or other accent markings.

Italian, gerund of rinforzare (‘to reinforce’), from ri- + in- + forza (‘force’).

Add weight, not punch. Where sforzando is a single sharp attack, rinforzando should feel like a momentary thickening of the texture — present, emphatic, but lasting more than an instant.