Semplice
Plainness is not emptiness; it is saying things cleanly
Related
Semplice comes from Latin simplex, literally "onefold, not folded", the opposite of complex. It asks the player to say the thing plainly, without decoration: clean colour, natural phrasing, none of the effects borrowed from exaggerated rubato or accent.
Plain is neither empty nor careless. The usual mistake is to play semplice without opinions — true plainness takes strong control: every note in place, phrases with rise and fall, and the effort hidden.
It often pairs with cantabile as "semplice e cantabile", a reminder to sing first and style second; it is especially common in slow movements of the Classical period. Compare dolce and cantabile.
Sources
- semplice 的含义与用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Semplice"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.