Definition
A musical direction indicating that a passage should be played with expression, feeling, and emotional intensity. The performer should emphasize the melodic line and bring out the musical character of the piece.
Etymology
From Italian 'espressivo' meaning 'expressive,' derived from Latin 'expressus' (past participle of 'exprimere' meaning 'to press out, express'). The term entered musical vocabulary in the 18th century as composers sought more specific ways to communicate emotional intent to performers.
Kelly Says
Espressivo represents the Romantic era's revolution in musical communication—before this period, composers rarely told performers how to feel the music! This marking helped bridge the gap between composer and audience, essentially giving performers permission to be emotionally vulnerable and interpretive rather than just technically accurate.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
አስተያየት
as-te-ya-yet
ARالعربية
تعبيري
ta-bi-ree
BNবাংলা
অভিব্যক্তিশীল
abhivyaktishil
CACatalà
expressiu
eks-pres-ee-oo
CSČeština
výrazný
vee-rahz-nee
DADansk
udtryksfuld
oo-drehks-fool
DEDeutsch
ausdrucksvoll
aus-druk-s-vol
ELΕλληνικά
εκφραστικός
ek-fra-stee-kos
ESEspañol
expresivo
eks-pres-ee-vo
FISuomi
ilmeikäs
eel-may-kahs
FRFrançais
expressif
eks-pres-see
GUGU
અભિવ્યક્તિપૂર્ણ
abhivyaktipoorn
HEעברית
ביטויי
bee-tee-oo-ee
HIहिन्दी
अभिव्यक्तिपूर्ण
abhivyaktipoorn
HUMagyar
kifejező
kee-fey-zoh
IDBahasa Indonesia
ekspresif
eks-pres-ee
IGIG
na-egosi
nah-eh-goh-see
ITItaliano
espressivo
es-pres-see-vo
KKKK
выразный
vy-rahz-nee
KMKM
ពិពណ៌នា
pee-pohr-nea
KO한국어
표현적인
pyohyeon-jeog-in
MRMR
अभिव्यक्तिपूर्ण
abhivyaktipoorn
MSBahasa Melayu
ekspresif
eks-pres-ee
MYမြန်မာ
ထုတ်ဖော်ပြသော
htoke-pau-pyee-thaw
NLNederlands
expressief
eks-pres-ee
NONorsk
uttrykksfull
oo-trehks-fool
PAPA
ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਉਣ ਵਾਲਾ
prag-ta-oo-n vaa-laa
PLPolski
wyrazisty
vy-rah-zee-sty
PTPortuguês
expressivo
eks-pres-see-vo
RORomână
expresiv
eks-pres-eev
RUРусский
выразительный
vy-raz-ee-tel-ny
SVSvenska
uttrycksfull
oo-trehks-fool
SWKiswahili
naonyeshi
nah-oh-nyeh-shee
TAதமிழ்
வெளிப்படுத்தும்
veli-pa-th-thum
TEతెలుగు
వ్యక్తీకరణ
vyakti-kara-na
THไทย
แสดงออก
sadthang-ork
TLTL
mapanghayon
mah-pang-hah-yon
TRTürkçe
ifade edici
ee-fa-deh ed-ee-jee
UKУкраїнська
виразний
vy-rahz-nee
VITiếng Việt
biểu cảm
bee-ow kahm
YOYO
ifọwọsi
ee-foh-woh-see
ZH中文
富有表现力的
fùyǒu biǎoxiàn lì de
ZUZU
kuvamisa
koo-vah-mee-sah