Elements of Music - Dynamics

In music, dynamics means how loud or quiet the music is.
On a piece of written music, dynamics are shown by letters which stand for Italian words for different volumes. The most common ones are:

Pianissimo, meaning very soft.
Piano, meaning soft.
Mezzo piano, meaning medium soft.
Mezzo forte, meaning medium loud.
Forte, meaning loud,
Fortissimo, meaning very loud.

There are also Italian terms for when music gets gradually louder or softer. If a composer wants the music to gradually increase in volume, it is marked crescendo. If a composer wants the music to gradually decrease in volume, it is marked diminuendo. These can also be shown on a score by signs known as ‘hairpins’. One which opens up represents a crescendo, and one which closes up represents a diminuendo.