General Musical Terms

# Glossary of Musical Terms

A: At, to, by

A Cappella: in the church style, unaccompanied vocal music

Accellerando (accel.)

: Gradually faster

Accent

: Placed above a note to stress or emphasize a note.

Accidental

: A sharp, flat or natural not in the given key.

Ad libitium

: The speed and Ad Lib manner are left to the performer

Adagio

: Slow

Adagietto

: Rather slow

Adagissimo

: Very Slow

Affrettando

: Hurrying pressing onwards

Agitati / Agitato

: Agitated

Alla Breve

: Formerly stood for four minims in a bar, now more often indicates two minim beats.

Allargando

: Getting slower, with an implication also of generally bigger tone

Allegro: Lively, fast

Allegretto: Rather lively (but less than Allegro)

Andante: At a moderate pace

Andantino: Alternatively faster or slower than Andante

A Niente: "To Nothing" playing softer until nothing

Anima Soul: With deep feeling

Animato: Animated

Addolorato: Sorrowfully

A piacere: At pleasure

Apassionato: Passionately

Approggriatura: A grace note

Arrache: Very strong Pizzicato

Arpeggio: Like a harp

Assai: Very

A tempo: In time, i.e. resuming normal speed after a deviation

Attaca: Go on at once

Ben: Bene Well

Bewegt: Ger. With movement

Bis: Lat. Twice

Breit: Ger. Broad

Bravura: (con.) Boldness and spirit

Breve: Originally a note of relatively short duration, but now the longest note, equal to four minims.

Brillante: Brilliant

Brio: Vigour

Calando: Decreasing both tone and speed

Cantabile (cantando) : In a singing style

Cantilena: Short, song-like piece

Capo: The beginning ( Da Capo - From the beginning)

Capriccio: A caprice ( a piece in free light-hearted style)

Coda: A passage added at the end of a movement to make a satisfactory finish

Col, Coll': With the

Colla,: collo

Colla parte: A direction to the accompanist

Colla voce: A To follow the solo instrument or voice

Come: As

Come prima: As at first

Come sopra: As above

Comodo: Convenient (usually linked with tempo - at a convenient pace)

Con: With

Crescendo (cresc.) : Becoming gradually louder

Da: From

Da Capo (D.C.) : From the beginning

Dal sengo (D.S.) : From the sign

Deciso: Decisively, firmly

Decrescendo (decresc.) : Becoming gradually softer

Delicato: Delicate

Diminuendo (dim.) : Becoming gradually softer

Dolce: Tenderly, sweetly

Dolcissimo (dolciss.) : Very gently, very sweetly

Dolente: Sadly

Dolore: Grief, sorrow

Doppio: Double

Doppio movimento: Twice as fast

Duo: A duet

E, Ed: And

Ein wenig: Ger. A little

En dehors: Fr. Prominently

En pressant: Fr. Hurrying

En retenant: Fr. Gradually slower

Energico: With energy

Espressione: Expression

Espressivo (espr.) : With expression

Etwas: Ger. Somewhat

Facile: Easy

Feurig: Ger. Fiery

Finale: The last movement of such a work a sonata

Fine: The end

Forte: Loud

Forte piano fp: Loud, then soft

Fortissimo: Very loud

Forza: Force

Forzando fz: Forcing, a sudden accent

Fuga: A fugue

Fuoco: Fire

Furioso: Furiously

Gauche: Fr. Left

Giocoso: Gay, merry

Giusto: Strict, exact

Glissando: The rapid playing of a scale

G.P. (Grand Pause) : Indicates all to remain silent until the conductor signals to continue

Grandioso: Grandly, in the grand manner

Grave: Very slow, solemn

Grazia: Grace

Immer: Ger. Always, constantly

Impetuoso: Impetuously

In altissimo: Notes played an octave higher

Incalzando: Increasing speed, with an implication of increasing tone

Lacrimoso: Sadly

Lamentoso: Mournfully

Langsam: Ger. Slow

Largamente: Broadly

Larghetto: Less slow than largo

Largo: Slow and stately

Lebhaft: Ger. Lively

Legato: Smooth

Legatissimo: As smoothly as possible

Leggiero: Light, delicate

Legno: See col legno

Lent: Fr. Slow

Lento: Slow

L.H.: Eng. Left hand

Lied: Ger. Song

L'istesso tempo: The speed of the beat remains the same although the notation changes

Loco: Notes are to be played at their normal pitch (after an indication to play them an octave higher or lower)

Lontano: As from a distance

Lunga pausa: A long pause

Lusingando: In a coaxing style

Ma: But

Ma non troppo: But not too much

Maestoso: Majestically

Mancando: Waning, dying away

Main droite (M.D.) : Fr. The right hand

Main gauche (M.G.) : Fr. The left hand

Marcato (marc.) : Marked, accented

Marcia: A march

Martellato: Hammered out

Marzial: Martial

Mässig: Ger. Moderate

Meno: Less

Meno mosso: Less movement, slower at once

Mesto: Sadly

Mezza voce: In an undertone

Mezzo forte F: Moderately loud

Mezzo piano P: Moderately soft

Misterioso: Mysterious

Misura: Senza misura in free time

Mit: Ger. With

Moderato: Moderate time

Moll: Ger. Minor

Molto: Much, Di molto, very much

Morendo: Dying away

Mosso: Moved, movement

Moto movimento: Movement, Dopio movimento twice as fast

MS.: Eng. Manuscript

Nicht: Ger. Not

Nobilmente: Nobly. A term much used by Elgar

Non: Not

Non tanto: Not so much

Non troppo: Not too much

Obbligato: Indispensable, cannot be omitted

Opus: Lat. A work, published composition

Ossia Or.: Indicating an alternative version of a passage

Ottava (Ott.) : Octave

Ottava bassa: An octave lower

Parlando: To be sung in Parlante declamatory fashion, with particular care for the enunciation of the words

Partitur: Ger. A full orchestral score

Passionato: Passionately

Pastorale: In a pastoral style

Paterico: With feeling, pathos

Pausa: A rest

Perdendosi: Dying away

Pesante: Heavy, ponderous

Piacevole: Pleasing, agreeable

Piangevole: Plaintively

Piano p: Soft

Pianissimo: Very softly

Pizzicato: "pinched" Plucking the string.

Più: More

Più: (allegro) Quicker, more lively

Più: (lento) More slowly

Più: (mosso) More movement, quicker

Plus: Fr. More

Pochettino: A very little

Pochissimo: As small as possible

Poco: A little

Poco a poco: Little by little

Poi: Then

Portamento: The effect produced by the voice in gliding with extreme smoothness from note to note

Precipitato: Precipitately, impetuously

Pretissimo: As fast as possible

Presto: Very quick

Prima volta: First time

Primo: First

Quasi: As if, almost

Quasi recitativo: Like a recitation

Rallentando (rall.) : Becoming gradually slower

Repetizone (replica) : Repitition

R.H.: Eng. Right hand

Rigoroso: Strictly

Rinforzando: Reinforcing

Risoluto: Resolute, bold

Risvegliato: With increased animation

Ritardando (rit.) : Gradually slower

Ritenuto (rit.) : Help back

Ritmico: Rhythmically

Rubato: Robbed, stolen, taking a portion of the duration from one note or group of notes, and adding it to another, so that although the detail varies, the length of the phrase is normal

Ruhig: Ger. Calm

Scherzando: Playful

Scherzo: A joke

Scherzoso: Playfully

Schnell: Ger. Quick

Schneller: Ger. Quicker

Sec: Lit. Detached

Segno: A sign. See Dal segno

Segue: Go on with what follows

Sempre: Always

Senza: Without

Sforzando (sforzato) : Forcing, accented

Simile: In a like manner

Sin',: Sino Until

Slargando (slentando) : Gradually slower

Smorzando:Dying away

Soave: Gentle, smooth

Solenne: Solemn

Sonore: Sonorous, full toned

Sopra: Above

Sospirando: Sighing

Sostenuto: Sustained

Sotto: Below

Sotto voce: In an undertone

Spiritoso: Spirited

Staccato (stacc.) : Detached

Staccatissimo: Very detached

Strepitoso: Noisy, boisterous

Stringendo: Gradually faster

Suave: Gentle, smooth

Subito: Suddenly

Süss: Ger. Sweet

Tacet: Lat. It is silent

Tanto: So much

Tempo: The speed

Tempo: comodo At a convenient speed

Tempo giusto: In strict time

Tempo Primo (tempo) : Resume the original speed

Tenerezza: Tenderness

Teneramente: Tenderly

Tenuto (ten.) : Held

Tosto: Swift, rapid

Tranquillo: Calm, tranquil

Traurig: Ger. Sadly

Tre: Three

Tremolando (trem.) : The rapid repitition of a note

Trionfale (trionfante, troppo) : Triumphant

Tutta forza: The whole power, as loud as possible

Tutti: All

Un,: una, uno One

Un peu (un poco) : Fr. A little

Unis.: In unison after a division (divisi)

Veloce: Swift, quick

Vibrato: Vibrating

Vif: Fr. Lively, quick

Vigoroso: Boldly, vigorously

Vite (vivace, vivo) : Fr. Quick, lively

Vivacissimo: Very lively, with extreme vivacity

Voce: Voice

Volante: Flying

Voll: Ger. Full

Volti subito (V.S.) : Turn the page quickly

Wenig: Ger. Little

Zart: Ger. Delicate

### Dynamics

Dynamics are terms or symbols that define the level in which the music is to be played. The dynamics listed below are in order from soft to loud. Starting with sf, the list proceeds with the more uncommon symbols.

Dynamic | Notation | Meaning
--- | --- | ---
Piano-Pianissimo | ppp | As soft as possible
Pianissimo | pp | Very soft
Piano | p | Soft
Mezzo Piano | mp | Moderately soft
Mezzo Forte | mf | Moderately loud
Forte | f | Loud
Fortissimo | ff | Very loud
Forte-Fortissimo | fff | As loud as possible
Sforzando, Sforzato | sf, sfz | Forcing, accented
Rinforzando | rfz | Reinforcing
Forte Piano | fp | Loud, then soft
Forzando | fz | Forcing, a sudden accent
Crescendo | cresc. | Gradually sing louder
Decrescendo | decresc | Gradually sing softer
Diminuendo | dim. | Becoming gradually softer

### Tempi

Tempo terms designate the rate or speed to sing the music. The terms below are in order from slowest to fastest.

Name | Meaning
--- | ---
Largo | Very slow
Larghetto | Slow, but not as slow as largo
Lento | Slow
Adagio | Slow
Andante | Walking speed
Andantino | A bit faster than andante
Moderato | Moderate
Allegretto | Moderately fast
Allegro | Fast, cheerful
Vivace | Lively
Presto | Fast
Prestissimo | Very fast

These terms and symbols denote a change in speed. They may either be from slower to faster, or faster to slower.

Name | Intended Change
--- | ---
Breath Mark | Pause, take a breath
Fermata | Hold longer
Accelerando | Increase speed
Allargando | Slow down
Rallentando | Decrease speed
Ritardando | Gradually play slower
Ritenuto | Hold back
Rubato | Freely
Stringendo | Hurry up

### Flow Direction

These terms are used to indicate the direction, or flow of singing. For singers it is especially important that you know these terms as it is quite embarassing to be singing something other than what the rest of the choir is singing.

As soon as I can find the proper graphics, I will include them in the appropriate place. For now, print out the table, and have your director show you what the symbol looks like.

Name | Meaning
--- | ---
Coda | Tail/Marker for al Coda redirections
Segno | Sign/Marker for Dal Segno redirections
Fine | End of song after a redirection
To Coda | Go to the Coda
Da Capo (D.C.) | From the beginning
D.C. al Coda | Sing from the beginning to the Coda
D.C. al Fine | Sing from the beginning to the Fine
Dal Segno (D.S.) | From the Segno
D.S. al Coda | Sing from the Segno to the Coda
D.S. al Fine | Sing from the Segno to the Fine