Sforzando

The sforzando is a marking of emphasis that is placed on a single note or chord. The word means “forcing” (from sforzare, “to force”). The note is to be accented suddenly and strongly, however loud it otherwise happens to be. Unlike the crescendo it does not change the course of the volume but sets a single point on it.

sf, sfz, fz

The abbreviations are sf, sfz and fz. They mean essentially the same. “Sforzando” is the gerund (“forcing”), “sforzato” the participle (“forced”); in scores both are used synonymously. More on the second form on the page Sforzato.

How a sforzando sounds

You play the note with clearly more weight, but not longer. For strings and wind players a sharp attack is often added, at the piano a strong touch. The following note returns to the basic volume. The difference from the accent (>) lies in strength: the sforzando is the stronger emphasis.

In the sheet music archive

In the example below the sforzando accents single chords in the piano.

• The Storm voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 2 pages

  Right at the start, in the first bars of the piano part on page 1, “sfz” appears under single chords, with “mf” and “f” in between. The chords are brought out without the texture as a whole getting louder. The piece is in 6/8 time with three flats.