Grazioso

/ɡrætsiˈoʊsoʊ/ adverb

Definition

A musical direction meaning to play in a graceful, elegant, and flowing manner.

Etymology

From Italian grazioso, derived from grazia (grace, favor), which comes from Latin gratia. The term became standard in musical notation during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Kelly Says

When a composer writes 'grazioso,' they're literally asking musicians to make their instruments 'dance'—and the most famous example is probably the graceful flute melody in Debussy's music!

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