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Music Terms
Music Theory
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| a cappella | unaccompanied choral music |
| accelerando, accel. | gradually getting faster |
| adagietto | rather slow, but faster than adagio |
| a libitum, ad lib. | at choice ie passage performed freely or that instrument in the score may be omitted |
| affettuoso | tenderly |
| affrettando, affret. | hurrying |
| agitato | agitated |
| a la pointe, an der Spitze, a punto d'arco | use the bow at the point |
| alla breve | with a minim beat |
| alla marcia | like a march |
| allargando | broadening, getting a little slower and a little louder |
| allegretto | fairly quickly but not allegro |
| allegro | quickly, cheerful |
| alt, in alt | high, in vocal music, notes in the octave above the treble stave. |
| al tallone, au talon, am Frosch | use the bow at the heel |
| amabile | amiable, pleasant |
| amore, amour | love |
| amoroso | loving |
| andante | at walking pace |
| andantino | slightly faster than andante |
| con anima | with spirit |
| animando | becoming more lively |
| animato, anime | animated, lively |
| apaise | calmed |
| a piacere | at pleasure, performer need not follow the given rhythm exactly |
| appassionato | with passion |
| assai | very |
| assez | enough, sufficiently |
| a tempo | in time, at original speed |
| attacca | go straight on, move straight to the next section |
| con bravura | in a brilliant style |
| con brio | with vigour |
| calando | getting softer, dying away |
| calmato, calme | calm, tranquil |
| cantabile | in a singing style |
| cantando | singing |
| capricciosa, capricieux | in a whimsical, fanciful style |
| cedez | yield, relax the speed |
| colla parte | keep with the soloist |
| colla voce | keep with the singer |
| col legno | with the wood, string player to play with the wood of the bow |
| coll' ottava | with the octave, keyboard player to play double notes an octave higher |
| come prima | as before |
| come sopra | as above |
| comodo | convenient |
| corda, corde | strings |
| crescendo | gradually getting louder |
| da capo D.C. | from the beginning |
| dal segno D. S. | from the sign |
| Daempfer | mute |
| deciso | with determination |
| decrescendo, descresc., decres. | gradually getting softer |
| delicato | delicate |
| detache | detached, usually applying to bowing on string instruments |
| diminuendo, dimin, dim. | gradually getting softer |
| divisi, div. | divided, for orchestra players to divide into two or more groups |
| doch | however, yet |
| dolce | sweet, soft |
| dolente | sad, mournful |
| doloroso | sorrowful |
| doppio movimento | twice as fast |
| douce, doux | soft, sweet |
| duolo, dolore | grief |
| empfindung | emotion, feeling |
| empfindungsvoll | with feeling |
| emporte | fiery, impetuous |
| en animant | becoming more lively |
| en cedant | yielding |
| en dehors | prominent, make the melody stand out |
| energico | energetic |
| enlevez | take up, take off, for pedal or mute |
| en mesure | in time |
| en pressant | hurrying on |
| en retenant | holding back, slowing a little |
| en serrant | becoming quicker |
| espressione | expression |
| espressivo, espress., espr., espressif | expressive |
| estinto | as soft as possible, lifeless |
| facile | easy |
| felice | happy |
| feroce | fierce |
| feurig | fiery |
| Flatterzunge, Flzg. | flutter-tonguing, for wind instruments |
| flautato, flautando | flute-like, for natural harmonics on string instruments |
| flessibile | flexible, not in strict tempo |
| fliessend | flowing |
| flottant | floating |
| forte | loud |
| fortepiano | loud then immediately soft |
| forza | force |
| forzando, forzato | forcing, strongly accented |
| fretta | haste |
| frisch | vigorous |
| froehlich | cheerful, joyful |
| fuoco | fire |
| furioso | furious, frenzied |
| gebunden | joined |
| gehend | at a steady speed, lit. 'going', like andante |
| gesangvoll | in a singing style, cantabile |
| geschwind | quick |
| giocoso | playfully, humorous |
| giocoso | joyfully, merry |
| giusto | proper, exact, tempo giusto, strict time |
| glissando, gliss. | slide, rapid scale by moving hand across keys or strings |
| G.P. | General Pause (all players silent) |
| gracieux | graceful |
| grandioso | grandly |
| grave | very slow, solemn |
| grazioso | graceful |
| impetuouso | impetuous |
| incalzando | getting quicker, lit. pressing forward |
| innig | heartfelt, sincere |
| inquieto | restless |
| in relievo | prominent, lit. in relief, make the melody stand out |
| joyeux | joyous |
| kraeftig | strong |
| lacrimoso, lagrimando, lagrimoso | sad, lit., tearful |
| lamentoso | lamenting |
| langsam | slow, adagio or lento |
| largamente | broadly |
| larghetto | rather slowly, but slightly faster than largo |
| largo | slow, stately |
| lebhaft | lively, vivace |
| legato | smooth, legatissimo, as smooth as possible |
| legerement, leggiero, leicht | light, nimble |
| Leid | grief, pain leidvoll leidenvoll: sorrowful |
| leidenschaft | passion. leidenschaftlich, passionate |
| leise (German) | soft, gentle |
| lent, lente | slow (lentement, slowly) |
| liberamente | freely |
| licenza | licence, freedom, con alcuna licenza, with some freedom (of temo, rhythm) |
| lieblich | lovely |
| l'istesso | the same (l'istesso tempo, at the same speed) |
| loco | at the normal pitch |
| lointain (French) lontano (Italian) | distant |
| lourd (French) | heavy, pesante |
| lugubre | mournful |
| lunga (italian) | long |
| lusingando | coaxing, in a sweet persuasive style |
| lustig | cheerful |
| maestoso | majestic |
| mancando | fading away |
| marcato, marc., | emphatic, accented |
| martele (French), martellato | strongly accented. lit., hammered |
| marziale | in a military style |
| maessig | at a moderate speed |
| meno | less |
| mesto | sad |
| misterioso | mysteriously |
| misura | measure: alla misura, in strict time; senza misura, in free time |
| moderato, modere | at a moderate speed |
| moins (French) | less |
| morendo | dying away |
| mosso | with motion, animated |
| moto, movimente | movement, motion |
| mouvement, mouvt (French) | movement, motion |
| munter (German) | lively |
| muta (italian) | change (tuning on timpani or from one instrument to another) |
| nach und nach | gradually |
| naturale, nat. | in an ordinary way (resume normal way of playing after eg. a col legno passage |
| niente | nothing |
| nobilmente | nobly |
| obbligato | obligatory, particular instrument is essential |
| ossia | alternatively |
| ostinato | persistent, eg persistently repeated rhythm or melodic figure |
| ottava. ott. | octave |
| parlando | speaking, sing in a conversational style |
| patetic | with deep feeling, with pathos |
| pausa | pause |
| perdendosi | dying away |
| pesante (italian) | heavy |
| placevole | pleasant |
| plangevole | plaintive, in the style of a lament |
| piano | quiet |
| pietoso, pietosamente | tenderly, pitifully |
| piu | more |
| pizzicato, pizz. | plucking |
| placido | calm, peaceful |
| plus (french) | more |
| pochettino, poch. | rather little |
| pochissimo, pochiss. | very little |
| poco | little, slightly |
| poi | then |
| ponticello | bridge (string instrument) |
| portamento | slide from one note to the next., lit, carrying |
| possibile | possible |
| precipitando, precipitato, precipitoso | rushing, headlong |
| presser, pressez (french) | hurry |
| presto | fast, faster than allegro |
| ralentir | slack, slow down |
| rallentando, rall. | gradually getting slower |
| rasch | quick, rascher, quicker |
| repetizione, replica | repetition |
| retenu | held back, a little slower |
| rigoroso | strict |
| rinforzando, rinforzato, rinf., rfz.,rf | reinforcing |
| risoluto | bold, strong |
| ritardando, ritard., rit. | gradually getting slower |
| ritenuto, riten. rit. | held back |
| ritmico | rhythmically |
| rubato, tempo rubato | with some freedom of time (lit, robbed) |
| ruhig | peaceful |
| saltando, saltato, sautille | springing, lightly bouncing bow technique |
| scherzando, scherzoso | playful, joking (implies a fast speed) |
| schleppen, schleppend | dragging |
| schnell | fast |
| schwach | weak |
| sec (french), secco (italian) | crisp, lit. 'dry', no reverberation |
| segue (Italian) | go straight on |
| semplice | simple, plain |
| senza | without |
| seul (French) | alone |
| serrer, serrez | hurry, quicken, as 'stringendo |
| sforzando, sforzato | accented, forced |
| sino, sin' | until, up to |
| slargando, slentando | getting slower |
| slancio | enthusiasm, impetus |
| smorzando, smorz. | dying away in tone and speed |
| soave | gentle, smooth |
| solenne | solemn, grave |
| sonoramente, sonore, sonoro | resonant, with a rich tone |
| sopra | above |
| sordino. sord. | mute |
| sospirando | sighing |
| sostenuto, sost. | sustained. |
| sotto | below |
| sotto voce | in an undertone |
| sourdine (French) | mute |
| sous (French) | under |
| spiccato | detached |
| spirituso | spirited |
| staccato | detached, short |
| stark (german) | strong |
| strepitoso | noisy, boisterous |
| stretto | quickening the speed |
| stringendo | gradually getting faster |
| subito, sub. | suddenly |
| sul, sulla | on the |
| suess | sweet |
| tacet | silent |
| tanto | so much |
| tasto | the fingerboard of a string instrument (sum tasto, on the fingerboard) |
| a tempo | in time |
| teneramente | tenderly |
| tenerezza | tenderness |
| tenuto, ten. | held |
| tosto | swift, rapid (as troppo) |
| tranquillo | calm |
| traurig | sad |
| tremolando, tremolo, trem. | trembling, rapid reiterations of a singe note or alternations of different notes |
| trionfale | triumphant |
| tristamente, triste | sad |
| troppo | too much |
| tutti | everyone |
| unisono, unis | in unison |
| veloce | swift |
| vibrato | vibrating |
| vif (French) | lively |
| vite (french) | quick |
| vivace, vivement, vivo | lively, quick |
| voce (Italian) voix | voice |
| volante (italian) | flying |
| voll (german) | full |
| volta (Italian) | time |
| volti subito (V.S.) | turn (the page) at once |
| vorgetragen (german) | brought out, prominent |
| wenig | little |
| wieder | again |
| zart (German) | tender, delicate |
| ziemlich (German) | moderately |
Created by:
Mary Morrissey
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