Rinforzando

Rinforzando means “reinforcing”. What is meant is a sudden reinforcement that gives a note, a chord or a short passage more weight. The word resembles sforzando. Both terms are related but are not used quite the same way.

Rinforzando or sforzando?

The sforzando hits a single note, afterwards the previous volume returns. The rinforzando often refers to a shorter stretch: the music is reinforced and at first stays so. The border is not sharp, and some editions use both markings almost synonymously.

Difference from the crescendo

A crescendo grows over a longer time, often with a hairpin under the staff. A rinforzando, by contrast, sets in suddenly. It is printed as “rf” or “rfz” directly under the note concerned.

Example from the sheet music archive

The guitar étude below contains “rf” in the middle of the piece. Before and after it there are further dynamic markings, so you can see how the rinforzando is embedded in the dynamic course. The étude is well suited for trying out the markings yourself in practice.

• Etüde Nr. 4 Matteo Carcassi, op. 60 No. 4 · guitar, 1 page

  The étude is in 2/4 time with two sharps and the heading “Allegretto”. At the start of bar 10 there is “rf”. In the course of the piece “fp”, “cresc.”, “mf” and “rf” alternate. That makes it easy to see how the reinforcement differs from the gradual crescendo.