What term refers to the dynamic levels in music?

• A. Dynamics
• B. tempo
• C. articulation
• D. pitch

Answer: (C)

Dynamic levels describe how loud or soft the music is at a given moment. The term for this is dynamics. Dynamics include markings like piano (soft), mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, forte (loud), fortissimo (very loud), and markings that indicate changes such as crescendo (getting louder) and decrescendo (getting softer). This is different from tempo, which is about speed; articulation, which concerns how notes are attacked or connected (staccato, legato, etc.); and pitch, which is how high or low a note sounds. So when you shape a passage by making it grow and shrink in volume, you’re applying dynamics.