What does sforzando mean in music?

sforzando means "suddenly strongly accented (sfz)".

What type of musical term is sforzando?

sforzando is a dynamics term — see the Theory Practice glossary for the rest of the dynamics word list.

What grade is sforzando tested in?

sforzando first appears at Grade 4 in ABRSM, AMEB and Trinity music theory exams, and stays in the syllabus for every grade above that.

Music theory · Musical terms · Dynamics

sforzando — meaning in music

sforzando is a musical term meaning suddenly strongly accented (sfz). It is a dynamics marking, first tested at Grade 4 in ABRSM, AMEB and Trinity music theory exams. From that grade on, every written paper expects you to know it on sight.

Definition

suddenly strongly accented (sfz)

DynamicsFirst tested: Grade 4

Translations

French	soudainement fortement accentué (sfz)
German	plötzlich starker Akzent (sfz)
Italian	improvvisamente con forte accento (sfz)
Spanish	De repente con fuerte acento (sfz)
Chinese	突然重音（sfz）

Drill the whole word list with flashcards

Adaptive flashcard practice — misses go to your mistake book, with Cleffy AI walkthroughs.

▶ Practice flashcards Upgrade to Plus

All dynamics terms

calando crescendo decrescendo diminuendo forte fortissimo mezza voce mezzo mezzo forte mezzo piano morendo perdendosi pianissimo piano sforzando smorzando sotto voce