ricordando

Ricordando is the present participle of the Italian verb ricordare, meaning to remember or to recall. In ordinary Italian, ricordando translates to “remembering” or “recollecting” and can appear in phrases describing memory, recollection, or commemorative contexts. The term reflects the broader Italian vocabulary for memory, with related forms such as ricordare, ricordi (memories), and ricordamento (remembrance). Its etymology traces ricordare to Latin recordari, from re- “again” and cord- (heart), signaling a returning to a memory or idea.

In music, ricordando is a standard expression marking used to instruct the performer to recall a previously stated theme or motif. It is often abbreviated as “ric.” or, less commonly, written in full as “ricordando” in scores. The indication serves to create continuity or a nostalgic recollection within a movement or passage, and its exact effect depends on the composer and musical context. It is one of several Italian expressive terms that guide character and phrasing in performance.

Beyond music, ricordando appears in Italian prose and poetry as a natural gerund meaning “remembering” and can be used in descriptions of recollection, memory, or nostalgic mood. In translation contexts, it is typically rendered as “remembering” or “recollecting.” The term thus functions across both linguistic and musical domains as a concise way to signal memory or recall.