allottava

All’ottava, sometimes written allottava in English texts, is a musical instruction directing performers to render the written notes an octave higher (or, less commonly, lower) than written. The term is Italian for “to the octave.” The directive is commonly used to simplify notation and avoid excessive ledger lines when a passage lies far outside the staff. To specify direction more clearly, composers may add qualifiers such as all’ottava alta (octave higher) or all’ottava bassa (octave lower).

Notation commonly appears as 8va above the staff to indicate octave higher, or 8vb below to indicate octave lower. A dashed or solid line often follows the marking to show the extent of the transposition, ending when the line finishes or when another instruction (such as loco) cancels it. In some scores, the Italian phrase all’ottava may be written directly instead of or alongside the 8va/8vb notation.

Usage and scope vary by context. All’ottava is widely used in piano music and organ scores, as well as in orchestral parts and vocal lines, to improve readability or to accommodate instrument ranges. It can apply to a single passage, a complete staff, or an entire movement, and it typically ends where the line ends or where a loco instruction resumes written pitch.

Related terms include 8va (ottava alta) and 8vb (ottava bassa). The phrase all’ottava serves as a traditional Italian designation for octave transposition, while modern notation frequently relies on the numeric 8va/8vb symbols.