Fortepiano – loud, then immediately quiet

(Pronounced for-tey pee-an-oh)

To remember what fortepiano is we need to learn what forte means and then what piano means. 

We can remember what forte means using the following mnemonic:

The battle at the fort was a (forte) loud one.

Forte means loud.

We can remember what piano means using the following mnemonic:

The tiny mouse played the piano (piano) so quietly so that she didn't wake anyone up.

Piano means quiet.

So if we join forte and piano (loud quiet) together we get:

Fortepiano

Loud Quiet

Means loud then quiet

Fortepiano means loud then quiet. 

Examples of fortepiano in a sentence

The end of the crescendo required fortepiano. 

Fortepiano was instructed in the notation. 

The use of fortepiano gave a great dynamic range.