| Question |
Answer |
| a tempo |
return to the original tempo |
| accelerando |
becoming quicker |
| accent |
a stressed note |
| adagio |
a slow tempo |
| alla, all' |
in the manner of |
| allegretto |
a little slower than allegro |
| allegro |
fast |
| andante |
moderately slow; walking pace |
| andantino |
a little faster than andante |
| animato |
lively, animated |
| assai |
much, very |
| ben, bene |
well |
| brillante |
brilliant |
| cantabile |
in a singing style |
| col, coll', colla, colle |
with |
| con |
with |
| con brio |
with vigour, spirit |
| con espressione |
with expression |
| con moto |
with movement |
| con pedale |
with pedal |
| crescendo, cresc. |
becoming louder |
| da capo, D.C. |
from the beginning |
| dal segno, D.S. |
from the sign |
| decrescendo, decresc. |
becoming softer |
| diminuendo, dim. |
becoming softer |
| dolce |
sweet, gentle |
| e, ed |
and |
| espressivo, espress. |
expressive, with expression |
| fermata |
a pause; hold the note or rest longer than its written value |
| fine |
the end |
| forte |
loud |
| fortepiano |
loud then suddenly soft |
| fortissimo |
very loud |
| grave |
slow and solemn |
| grazioso |
graceful |
| larghetto |
not as slow as largo |
| largo |
very slow |
| legato |
smoothly |
| leggiero |
light |
| lento |
slow |
| loco |
return to normal register |
| ma |
but |
| maestoso |
majestic |
| mano destra, M.D. |
right hand |
| mano sinistra, M.S. |
left hand |
| marcato, marc. |
marked or stressed |
| meno |
less |
| meno mosso |
less movement, slower |
| mezzo forte |
moderately loud |
| mezzo piano |
moderately soft |
| M.M. |
Maelzel's metronome |
| moderato |
at a moderate tempo |
| molto |
much, very |
| non |
not |
| non troppo |
not too much |
| ottava, 8va |
the interval of an octave; play note(s) one octave above the written pitch |
| pedale, ped. |
pedal |
| piano |
soft |
| pianissimo |
very soft |
| piￃﾹ |
more |
| piￃﾹ mosso |
more movement (quicker) |
| poco |
little |
| poco a poco |
little by little |
| presto |
very fast |
| prestissimo |
as fast as possible |
| quasi |
almost, as if |
| rallentando, rall. |
slowing down |
| repeat sign |
repeat the music within the double bar lines |
| ritardando, rit. |
slowing down gradually |
| rubato |
a flexible tempo using slight variations of speed to enhance musical expression |
| sempre |
always, continuously |
| senza |
without |
| slur |
connects several notes; play the notes legato |
| staccato |
sharply detached |
| tempo |
speed at which music is performed |
| tempo primo (tempo I) |
return to the original tempo |
| tenuto |
held, sustained |
| tie |
connects two notes; hold for the combined value of the tied notes |
| tranquillo |
quiet, tranquil |
| tre corde |
three strings; release the left pedal |
| triad |
a chord consisting of a root, a 3rd, and a 5th |
| troppo |
too much |
| una corda |
one string; depress the left pedal |
| vite |
fast |
| vivace |
lively, brisk |
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