Niente (), also called quasi niente , is a musical dynamic often used at the end of a piece to direct the performer to fade the music away to little more than a bare whisper, normally gradually with a diminuendo,Collins Encyclopedia of Music, p. 379. al niente.Bauer, Helen (2009). Young People's Guide to Classical Music, p.32. Hal Leonard. . It is often written as "" or "". It is also used to direct the performer to fade into a note without any articulation at the beginning of the note, known as dal niente (from nothing): "".
Niente is distinct from a rest "in that [during niente] the musician is engaged in making sound, but so softly that the sound can not be heard."Zimmerman, Joyce Ann (2010). Silence: Everyday Living and Praying, p.63n8. Liturgy Training Publications. .
See also Ensemble Dal Niente Morendo Pensato
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