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Orchestra Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| grave | a very slow tempo, can also indicate a sustained/ serious tone |
| Lento | a very slow tempo |
| Adagio | a slow tempo |
| Moderato | a moderate tempo (actual speed is very context dependent) |
| Andante | a walking speed tempo |
| Andantino | literally “a little andante,” can mean slightly faster or slower than a walking speed tempo |
| Allegretto | literally “a little allegro,” usually a little slower than allegro |
| Allegro ma non troppo | Fast, but not overly so |
| Allegro moderato | moderately fast |
| Allegro | a fast tempo |
| Vivace | a lively and fast tempo |
| Presto | really fast |
| Tempo primo or Tempo I | literally “first tempo,” the original tempo of the piece |
| L’istesso tempo | an indication typically present at a transition where the form, character, and/or meter changes, but the speed of the beat remains the same |
| poco | little |
| poco a poco | little by little, gradual change |
| ma | but |
| molto | very |
| con fuoco | with fire |
| -etto | suffix meaning “a little” |
| morendo | dying away |
| piu mosso | more motion |
| meno mosso | less motion |
| con moto | with movement |
| con tutta forza | with full force |
| sempre | always |
| pesante | heavy and ponderous |
| a tempo | returning to the previous tempo, usually after a temporary shift in tempo |
| ritardando (rit.) | tempo slowing down |
| rallentando (rall.) | tempo slowing down |
| stringendo | tempo speeding up |
| accelerando | tempo speeding up |
| ad libitum (ad lib.) | at the performer’s pleasure or discretion |
| sostenuto | sustained, legato sound |
| cantabile | singing tone |
| brio | vigor, spirit |
| dolce | sweetly |
| leggiero | lightly |
| misterioso | mysterious |
| sotto voce | literally “under the voice,” very softly |
| tranquillo | tranquil, quiet, peaceful |
| animato | animated |
| affezione | affectionate |
| tenuto | literally “held,” applying to a note held for its full value or slightly longer |
| espressivo (espress.) | accentuate the phrasing of the music |
| 8va | an indication that the music should be performed one octave higher than written |
| 8vb | an indication that the music should be performed one octave lower than written |
| Da capo | literally “the head,” this indication is often abbreviated D.C. and indicates a return to the beginning of the piece. |
| con sord. | with mute |
| senza sord | without mute |
| arco | with the bow |
| pizzicato (pizz.) | plucked |
| + | left hand pizzicato |
| divisi (div.) | divided parts |
| trill (tr) | rapid alternation between the written note and the note above it |
| sfz, or sf—sforzando | an indication to play the note with strong, accented, and sudden emphasis |
| unison (unis.) | everyone on the same part, used to indicate the end of a divisi or solo |
| non div. | not divided, used to indicate that more than one note should be performed by all players |
| marcato | marked or accented, played with emphasis |
| staccato | separation between the notes |
| legato | long and sustained, no separation between the notes |
| spiccato | the technique of lightly bouncing the bow |
| glissando (gliss.) | a continuous slide upward or downward between two notes |
| tremolo | rapid, unmeasured repetition of a pitch |
| solo | one player |
| soli | an important passage for a section or group of players |
| tutti | all |
| artificial harmonic | a “closed string” harmonic, produced by depressing the string (usually with first finger), then laying another finger on the string above that |
| natural harmonic | an “open string” harmonic, produced by laying the finger lightly on a specific place on the string without depressing the string. |
| ossia | alternative part |
| grace note | a note printed in smaller notation that functions as an ornament which is harmonically non-essential |
Created by:
jprice24
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