Ossia
An alternative reading of the same passage, usually printed on a small staff
Related
Ossia is Italian for "or": an alternative way of playing the same passage. It is usually printed on a small staff above or below the main one, in small notes, and may offer a simplification, a different octave, or a substitute high note in an opera aria. The player chooses one; the two versions are never played together.
It differs from a decorated variation: ossia is an alternative route, not added ornament. Composers write it to accommodate players of different levels or to fit the same passage to another voice. First work out which main staff the small staff belongs to and where the beat aligns.
A common mistake is to treat ossia as a part that must be played. It is an option, not an extra layer.
Sources
- ossia 小谱表的用途与写法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Ossia"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.