Sotto voce (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsotːo ˈvotʃe], literally "under voice") means to speak under one's breath. In music, a dramatic lowering of the vocal or instrumental tone — not necessarily pianissimo In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional (velocity). The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics. Dynamics do not indicate specific volume levels, but are meant to be, but with a hushed quality. An example of Sotto voce is in the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. The singers lower their volume in order to attain the 'hushed' quality desired.
The term may also denote muttering in literary, theatrical or film scripts (related to the aside An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention the audience is to realize that the character's speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly or represent an unspoken thought. An aside is usually a brief comment, rather than a speech, such as a monologue). For example, in Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is a famous and influential novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell". The American edition came out the following year published by Harper & Brothers of New York Chapter 4, Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Brontë ) (21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters whose novels are English literature standards. Under the pen name Currer Bell, she wrote Jane Eyre uses this term to describe Mrs. Reed's tone after arguing with Jane. (the human abstract-sotto voce)
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