Frazzando

Frazzando is a musical term of Italian origin, meaning "fraying" or "wearing out." In music, it indicates a passage where the sound becomes increasingly fragmented, chaotic, or disintegrates. This effect can be achieved through various musical techniques, such as rapid tremolos, rapid scalar passages, or dissonant harmonies that become increasingly dense and unresolved. The intention is to create a sense of decay, breakdown, or intense emotional turmoil.

The term is typically found in orchestral and chamber music, though it can appear in solo instrumental works. Composers use frazzando to evoke a range of emotions or scenarios, from a character's mental breakdown to the literal destruction of an object or the fading of a memory. The effect is often brief, a momentary disruption of the musical fabric before a return to a more stable or contrasting texture. It is a deliberate artistic choice to disturb the listener's sense of order and create a heightened dramatic impact. The precise musical notation for frazzando can vary, but it generally involves specific rhythmic patterns and articulation marks designed to convey the intended disintegration of sound.