Which term denotes a directive to play with expression?

• A. Esplanade
• B. Espressivo
• C. Staccato
• D. Sforzando

Answer: (B)

Playing with expression is guided by the marking espressivo, which tells you to render the music with warmth, phrasing, and a singing quality. It invites you to shape the line emotionally—breathing with the phrase, shaping dynamics smoothly, and letting the melody speak rather than just hitting notes. In practice, you might elongate and shape long notes, smooth out the line, and vary tone color to convey mood, all while keeping the musical line connected and expressive.

Contrast helps: staccato means short, detached notes; sforzando signals a sudden, strong emphasis on a note or chord; esplanade isn’t a performance marking at all. So espressivo is the instruction that directly asks you to play more expressively.