Subito

What it means

Subito means “suddenly, immediately” and is an addition, not an independent sign. It stands with a dynamic or tempo marking and calls for the change to happen abruptly — without transition, without preparation.

Most often the combination subito piano is encountered, abbreviated sub. p: after a loud section, often even after a crescendo, soft enters abruptly. Equally common is subito forte. The addition can also stand with tempo markings.

The effect arises from expectation. A subito piano after an intensification surprises precisely because the listener expects the climax. Whoever prepares the pulling-back by already becoming softer beforehand takes away the passage's effect.

In the notation

The word stands in italics immediately before or after the dynamic sign, below the staff or, for vocal parts, above the text. It applies only to this one change, not to the following section. It often stands at the end of a crescendo hairpin, which at first glance seems contradictory but notates exactly the intended surprise.

Musical use

Sudden changes belong among the most effective means of dynamics. In the Viennese Classical period they are a fixed component of musical rhetoric; in the Romantic era they serve to form contrast between sections. Especially often, subito piano stands at points where a new idea begins softly after the preceding one has ended loudly.

Subito calls for an immediate change without transition, for instance subito piano after a forte. It stands before the marking that is to apply suddenly. Beethoven often writes subito piano after a crescendo.

Performance practice

Do not prepare the change: hold the old level until the last note and change only then. Precisely herein lies the difficulty, for the hand or the breath involuntarily pulls back already beforehand. Practise the passage as a leap between two notes. In ensemble the change must come together — a single player who becomes soft too early gives away the surprise.