Sotto voce (music)

In music, sotto voce (/ˈsɒtəʊ ˈvəʊtʃɪ/ or /ˈsɒtəʊ ˈvəʊtʃɛ/ or /ˈsɒtoʊ ˈvoʊtʃeɪ/; [ˈsotto ˈvoːtʃe]; Italian for "under the voice") is a dramatic lowering of the vocal or instrumental volume — not necessarily pianissimo, but a definitely hushed tonal quality. An example of sotto voce occurs in the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor, in which the singers lower their volume for emphasis. A tonal example of "sotto voce" can be found at the beginning of Movement III of Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132, in which the strings play with a hushed quality before later playing with renewed strength.