Leggiero
Light without vagueness — control and clarity, not weakness
Related
Leggiero means "light"; by the usual account it reached Italian through French léger, sharing a root with Latin levis ("light"), and it is also spelled leggero. Touch or bowing should be light, nimble, clearly grained.
It describes texture of touch, not speed, and still less a dynamic level. A quick leggiero run must let every note be heard, and a slow light phrase still needs a point to stand on. The usual mistake is to play it "soft and vague" — weak playing loses the outline; lightness is active control, and the quieter it is, the clearer it must be told.
Read deeper → grazioso
Sources
- leggiero 的表情含义与词源，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Leggiero"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.