Dying away
Dying away is the English equivalent of morendo: fading gradually, usually with decreasing loudness. It means a sound that goes out little by little, like a flame that is extinguished.
- Meaning
- dying, fading gradually
- Italian
- morendo
- Loudness
- decreases until it fades
- Tempo
- often becomes slower at the same time
The English word for morendo
Italian expression marks are often translated. “Dying away”, also “fading away”, is the English equivalent of “morendo”, literally “dying”. It means a sound that gradually goes out and finally fades. The mark first asks for getting softer until the sound disappears. It often combines with slowing down; not all reference works mention this, however.
Dying away: getting softer and slower
The phrase becomes softer and at the same time slower. The final note in the third bar begins at ppp and lets the sound die out.
Only softer, bass clef
Without a tempo mark it simply gets softer. Which reading applies depends on the piece.
Morendo, smorzando and perdendosi
The word “smorzando” appears in dictionaries with the meaning of damping or extinguishing, “morendo” with that of dying. In practice these words mean a gradual fading. The differences lie in the image: “smorzando” suggests the damping of the sound, “morendo” the dying, “perdendosi” the losing of oneself. To the listener they seem similar.
Where you find it
The mark usually appears at the end of a piece or a movement. There it lets the music fade out instead of cutting it off. How much the tempo slows is determined by the context: a “rit.” in the score is a clear hint, a calm character a soft one.
Common mistakes
- Changing only the tempo: The loudness remains the core of the mark.
- Breaking off the sound: It should fade out, not be cut off.
- Starting too early: The fading begins where the mark appears.
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Related terms
MorendoSmorzandoPerdendosiDiminuendoDecrescendoRallentandoDynamics
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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