A: At, to, by
A Cappella:
in the church style, unaccompanied vocal music
Accellerando (accel.) : Gradually faster
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:
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
Anima Soul:
With deep feeling
Animato:
Animated
A piacere:
At pleasure
Apassionato:
Passionately
Approggriatura: A grace note
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
Duma: an epic or ballad-like narration
Dumka: a lament.
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
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Gauche: Fr. Left
Giocoso:
Gay, merry
Giusto:
Strict, exact
Glissando:
The rapid playing of a scale
G.P. (General Pause) : Indicates all to
remain silent
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
Menuet (Menuetto): A slow graceful dance in 3/4 time
characterized by forward balancing, bowing, and toe pointing
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:
With movement; in a spirited manner
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
Pił:
More
Pił:
(allegro) Quicker, more lively
Pił:
(lento) More slowly
Pił: (mosso)
More movement, quicker
Plus:
Fr. More
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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 |
