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What does "m.Iz." or "m.Tz." (or "m.I%." or "m.T%.": I don't know if it is a "%" or a "z") mean in this score? The piece is the waltz "Diana Triste" of the Colombian composer Luis A. Calvo (1882-1945). Here is the link to the score:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Dk_Y-xlXpcWsA6h5o8heTIscdgfhLO6o

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  • Is that actually a "m. I. z."? The stem at the bottom of the "T" seems too big.
    – Dekkadeci
    Aug 29, 2018 at 23:54
  • And what is "m. l. z"? I am a newbie in musical notation.
    – J.C.M.H.
    Aug 29, 2018 at 23:56
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    Hi, for future posts, please be sure to provide the name of the piece & composer; posting the publisher and a link to the full sheet is helpful as well.
    – Carl Witthoft
    Aug 30, 2018 at 11:21

1 Answer 1

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My guess is that this is a Spanish score?

If so, the abbreviations tell us which hand plays which notes.

The "m.Iz." stands for "mano izquierda," which is Spanish for "left hand." The "m.d.," meanwhile, stands for "mano derecha," or "right hand."

The upper staff in the second-to-last measure, for instance, will switch hands every beat as you climb up the keyboard: right hand on beat 1, left hand on beat 2, and right hand on beat 3.

Similar terms are used for scores in other languages; see Why is there a "G" marked on an augmented octave in Scarlatti Sonata K466 in F minor?

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    Yes, it is a Spanish score. Thank you, now it makes sense. The problem is that the "I" looked like a "T", and in the last occurrence, there is a period sign between "I" and "z".
    – J.C.M.H.
    Aug 30, 2018 at 0:25
  • @J.C.M.H. Yeah, that period is odd. Is it possible it's a slight flaw in the printing?
    – Richard
    Aug 30, 2018 at 0:27
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    The edition of the score is somewhat neglected. The score appeared in the last page of the Colombian magazine "Mundo al Día" on June 28, 1930. The piece is the waltz "Diana Triste" of Luis A. Calvo.
    – J.C.M.H.
    Aug 30, 2018 at 0:37
  • I wonder if it would be helpful to include some comments in your answer about the 'I' masquerading as a "T" in the manuscript.
    – user39614
    Aug 30, 2018 at 13:47
  • @DavidBowling I wish I knew! I assumed it was just a handwritten "I" the looked like a "T" since the upper bar is wider than the lower. The "I" in the next to last measure is much more clear to me, but the apparent period is still confusing.
    – Richard
    Aug 30, 2018 at 13:55

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