Sordamente

Sordamente is an expressive direction instructing the performer to produce a veiled, muted quality throughout a passage. Unlike sordino, which refers to the physical application of a muteMuteA device attached to an instrument to soften its volume and alter its tone colour.View full entry →, sordamente describes the tonal character the performer should aim for — a sound that is deliberately restrained, as though heard through a heavy curtain.