What does fortissimo mean in music?

Fortissimo, abbreviated as ff, means very loud in music. Some other levels of musical dynamics commonly used along with Fortissimo are:

- Pianissimo (abbreviated as pp): very soft;

- Fortepiano (fp): start softly then immediately transition to a loud note or chord;

- Piano (p): soft;

- Mezzo piano (mp): moderately soft;

- Mezzo forte (mf): moderately loud;

- Forte (f): loud;

- Fortississimo (fff): extremely loud.