Performance
Piacevole
Pleasing, agreeable.
What it means
Piacevole is an Italian performance direction meaning "pleasing, agreeable". It calls for a friendly, graceful and balanced expression that does without harshness and exaggeration. It refers to character, not to a tempo.
Musical use
The direction is found in music of the 18th and 19th centuries, often in calm, cheerful passages. It is related to grazioso (graceful) and amabile (amiable) but stresses more strongly the pleasant and unobtrusive. Piacevole should be distinguished from dolce, which mainly means a soft tone color, and from cantabile, which aims at singing playing.
Performance practice
Play piacevole with a soft touch, balanced dynamics and calm phrases. Avoid sharpness and sudden accents; the pleasantness arises through an even, natural flow.