15ma

15ma in sheet music.
Image © Brandy Kraemer

Definition: The musical command 15ma, or “quindicesima” (fifteenth), indicates a note or series of notes will be played two octaves higher than written. 15ma makes it easier to notate and to read notes that may otherwise require several ledger lines (see image).
15ma can affect a single note, or it may span several measures. Its effect ends at the word loco.


See 8va & 15mb.

Also Known As:

  • alla quindicesima, “at the fifteenth [double octave]” (It)

Pronunciation: queen'-dee-TCHAY-see-mah
More Musical Abbreviations:


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Musical Articulation:
◦ staccato
◦ tie
◦ (rfz) rinforzando
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Volume Commands & Symbols:
◦ (mf) mezzo forte
◦ (sfz) sforzando
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Common French Musical Terms:
◦ à l’aise
◦ doucement
◦ en ralentissant
◦ mi-doux
◦ très vite
German Musical Commands:
◦ anschwellend
◦ lebhaft
◦ geschwind
◦ fröhlich
◦ schnell