sotto voce

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Sotto voce (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsotːo ˈvotʃe], literally "under voice") means to speak under one's breath. In music, a dramatic lowering of the vocal or instrumental tone — not necessarily pianissimo, but with a hushed quality. An example of Sotto voce is in the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. The singers lower their volume in order to attain the 'hushed' quality desired.

The term may also denote muttering in literary, theatrical or film scripts (related to the aside). For example, in Jane Eyre Chapter 4, Charlotte Brontë uses this term to describe Mrs. Reed's tone after arguing with Jane.

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