Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In music, dying away; diminuendo at the end of a cadence.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • (Mus.) Dying; a gradual decrescendo at the end of a strain or cadence.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb music Fading away in tone or tempo.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Derived from Italian morendo, present participle of morire ("to die").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word morendo.

Examples

  • After the words “and longing vain,” he sighed softly, dropped his eyes and let his voice gradually die away, morendo.

    A House of Gentlefolk 2003

  • [Footnote 30: Both _moriente_ and _morendo_ mean literally -- _dying_.] [Footnote 31: From _smorzare_ (It.) -- to extinguish.] 128.

    Music Notation and Terminology Karl Wilson Gehrkens 1928

  • The most common of these are: -- _mancando_, _moriente_, [30] _morendo_, _perdendo_ (from _perdere_ -- to lose), _perdendosi_,

    Music Notation and Terminology Karl Wilson Gehrkens 1928

  • In tremolando they can execute the most gradual crescendo, diminuendo, the sfp and morendo.

    Principles of orchestration 1923

  • In each wind instrument I have defined the scope of greatest expression, that is to say the range in which the instrument is best qualified to achieve the various grades of tone, (forte, piano, cresc., dim., sforzando, morendo, etc.) — the register which admits of the most expressive playing, in the truest sense of the word.

    Principles of orchestration 1923

  • After the words ‘and longing vain, ’ he sighed softly, dropped his eyes and let his voice gradually die away, morendo.

    Chapter IV 1917

  • If you will only consent to try me once I promise to stick like cobbler's wax -- I beg your pardon, I mean I will endeavor to adhere to the morendo and perdendosi style -- don't you know?

    A Crystal Age 1881

  • After the words: "I suffer pain ...." he heaved a slight sigh, dropped his eyes, and lowered his voice, -- _morendo_.

    A Nobleman's Nest Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev 1850

  • After the words "and longing vain," he sighed softly, dropped his eyes and let his voice gradually die away, morendo.

    A House of Gentlefolk Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev 1850

  • Ok, so he didn't attempt the tricky morendo ( "dying away") on the high B-flat at the close of "Celeste Aida", opting instead for the simpler alternative of the quietly repeated final phrase.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.