Brillant
Sparkling, technically dazzling.
What it means
Brillant means “sparkling” or “shining” and calls for a dazzling, virtuoso performance. The marking aims at a bright, clear sound and technical ease: fast figures should seem effortless, and the tone should shine.
The word also designates a style. In the nineteenth century brillant appears in the title of numerous pieces — rondos, variations, polonaises — designed for virtuoso effect. The style brillant is a term of music history in its own right and refers to that piano music of the early nineteenth century which puts fluency and lustre in the foreground.
It differs from konzertant, which means stepping forward as a soloist, in its emphasis on sound; and from spiritoso, which calls for wit and spirit, in its emphasis on outward effect.
In the notation
The word is written in italics above the staff, usually after a tempo word, and applies until a new marking. In the title of a piece it appears as part of the genre designation. Typical neighbours are runs, arpeggios, double stops, and high register.
Musical use
The marking is used in virtuoso sections, in cadenzas, in closing climaxes, and in pieces whose appeal lies in fluency. It is especially widespread in the piano and violin literature of the nineteenth century, and in salon music as well. There the lustre counts not as superficiality but as a value in its own right.
The marking is typical of the virtuoso music of the nineteenth century, for instance in Weber, Hummel, and the early Chopin, where it often stands in the title, as in Rondo brillant. It calls for light, pearling runs, a clear touch, and a shining tone, not mere loudness. The technique should appear effortless, the effect festive.
Performance practice
Keep the tone bright and the articulation clear; lustre comes from clarity, not from volume. Choose the tempo so that all figures stay clean — a blurred passage never sounds brilliant. Keep your movements small and loose so that the lightness becomes audible. And bring out the goal points of the runs, otherwise they sound like exercises.