Dictionary of Musical Terms
Terms
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- A
- to, at, in
- acclerando (accel.)
- growing faster
- accent
- emphasis placed on a note or chord
- adagio
- slowly
- a deux (a 2)
- to be played by both instruments
- ad libitum (ad lib.)
- freely; not in strict time
- affettuoso
- with feeling and emotion
- agitato
- agitated, restless, hurried
- al fine
- to the end
- alla
- in the style of
- alla breve
- cut time; two beats to the measure; one beat to each half note
- allargando (allarg.)
- growing slower and louder
- allegretto
- a bright tempo; faster than moderato but slower than allegro
- allegro
- fast
- amoroso
- affectionately
- andante
- a moderately slow but flowing tempo
- andantino
- a little faster than andante
- animato
- animated; with spirit
- a piacere
- at pleasure; equivalent of ad libitum
- appassionato
- with passion and emotion
- arpeggio
- notes of a chord played consecutively; a broken chord
- assai
- very
- a tempo
- in the original tempo
- attacca
- begin the next portion of the music without pausing
- bassa
- low. 8va bassa means play the notes an octave lover than written
- ben
- well
- bis
- twice; repeat the passage
- bravura
- boldness
- brillante
- brilliant
- brio
- vigor, spirit
- cadenza
- an elaborate solo passage, frequently unaccompanied, used as an embellishment
- calando
- gradually softer and slower
- capriccioso
- in a fanciful and capricious style
- chromatic
- proceeding by semitones (half steps)
- coda
- a closing passage
- con
- with
- col
- with
- con anima
- with animation and boldness
- con brio
- with vigor and brilliancy
- con expressione
- with expression
- con fuoco
- with fire and passion
- con moto
- with motion
- con spirito
- with spirit and energy
- da
- from
- dal
- from
- da capo (D.C.)
- from the beginning
- D.C. al fine
- from the beginning tot he word Fine (the finish or end)
- dal segno (D.S.)
- from the sign
- D.S. al fine
- from the sign to the word Fine
- decrescendo (decresc.)
- decreasing the volume of the tone
- diminuendo (dim.)
- gradually softer
- divisi (div.)
- divided; each part to be played by a separate instrument
- dolce
- sweetly
- dolcissimo
- very sweetly
- dolore
- sorrow, sadness
- doloroso
- sadly
- dynamics
- expression produced by the different degrees of volume of the tone
- E
- and
- elegante
- elegant, graceful
- energico
- energetic, vigorous
- enharmonic
- alike in pitch but different in notation
- espressivo
- expressively
- fermata
- a pause or hold
- finale
- the concluding movement
- fine
- the end
- forte (f)
- loud
- fote-piano (fp)
- accent strongly, diminishing immediately to piano
- fortissimo (ff)
- very loud
- forza
- force, power, strength
- forzando (fz)
- the note or chord strongly accented
- fuoco
- fire, energy
- furioso
- furious
- giocoso
- humorous
- giojoso
- joyous
- giusto
- exact; in strict time
- glissando
- slurred smoothly in a gliding manner
- grace notes
- small notes added for an ornamental or embellishing effect
- grandioso
- in a grand manner
- grave
- solemnly and very slowly
- grazioso
- gracefully
- gruppetto
- a group of grace notes; a turn
- il
- the
- impetuoso
- impetuous
- key note
- the tonic or first note in a scale
- lamentoso
- lamenting, sad
- largamente
- in a full, broad style
- larghetto
- slowly, but not as slowly as largo
- largo
- a slow broad tempo
- ledger lines
- short lines added above or below the staff for notes too high or too low to appear on or within the staff
- legato
- in a smooth, connected manner, indicated by the slur
- leggiero
- lightly
- lento
- slow
- loco
- as written; generally used after a passage marked 8va
- ma
- but
- ma non troppo
- but not too much so
- maestoso
- majestic, dignified
- maggiore
- the major key
- marcato
- in a marked and emphatic style
- marcia
- march
- marziale
- in a martial style
- meno
- less
- mezzo
- half
- mezzo forte (mf)
- moderately loud
- minore
- the minor key
- misterioso
- mysteriously
- moderato
- moderately
- molto
- much, very
- mordent
- an embellishment of two or more notes that make up a very short trill
- morendo
- dying away; softer and softer
- moto
- motion
- non
- not
- non tanto
- not to much
- notation
- the art of representing music by written or printed characters
- opus
- a work or composition
- passionato
- passionate
- patetico
- pathetic
- pause
- a pause, also called hold or fermata
- pianissimo (pp)
- very softly
- piu
- more, as piu forte, piu lento, etc
- piu mosso
- more movement; faster
- poco
- a little
- poco a poco
- little by little
- pomposo
- pompous, grand
- prestissimo
- as fast as possible
- primo (1mo)
- the first, as Tempo Primo
- quasi
- like; in the style of
- rallentando (rall.)
- gradually slower
- risoluto
- in a resolute and bold manner
- ritardando (rit.)
- retarding; gradually slowing the tempo
- retenuto (riten.)
- in a slower tempo; held back
- scherzando
- playfully
- segue
- follows on; continue
- semplice
- in a simple, unaffected manner
- sempre
- always, continually
- senza
- without
- sforzando (sfz.)
- with sudden force or emphasis
- simile
- similarly; in like manner
- smorzando (smorz.)
- extinguished; suddenly dying away
- solo
- a composition or passage for a single voice or instrument
- sordino
- a mute, such as used for a violin, a trumpet
- sostenuto
- sustained
- sotto voce
- in a quiet, subdued tone
- spirito
- sprit, energy
- staccato
- detatched, cut short
- subito
- immediately, suddenly
- syncopation
- a type of time structure in which an accented note occurs on an ordinarily weak beat and is prolonged through and ordinarily strong beat
- tacet
- be silent; do not play
- tempo
- rate of speed
- tenuto (ten.)
- held for the full time value
- trill
- a rapid alternation between the printed note and the next note above it
- troppo
- too much
- tutti
- all together
- un
- a, one, an
- vivace
- lively, briskly
- vivo
- animated, quick
- volti subito (v.s.)
- turn the page immediately
- appoggiatura
- a grace note which takes the accent and part of the time value of the following principal note; often called long grace note
- cantabile
- in a singing style
- crescendo (cresc.)
- increasing the volume or loudness of the tone
- l'istesso tempo
- at the same tempo as the previous passage or movement
- mezzo piano (mp)
- moderately soft
- mosso
- movement
- obbligato
- a counter-melody which complements the main theme and which constitutes an indispensable part of the composition
- octave
- an interval of eight diatonic sounds; notes an octave apart have the same letter name, but one of them is higher than the other
- ossia
- otherwise; or else; indicating another way of playing a passage
- perdendosi
- gradually softer and slower; dying away
- piano (p)
- softly
- presto
- very fast; faster than allegro
- recitativo (recit.)
- a style of performance intended to sound like a dramatic recitation in natural speech.
- replica
- repetition
- rinforzando (rfz.)
- reinforced; played with added strength and emphasis
- rubato
- robbing or taking from the notes their strict time value by alternately hurrying and retarding for the purpose of expression
- stringendo (string.)
- pressing; accelerating the tempo
- tranquillo
- queitly, calmly
- tremolo
- repetition of a note or chord with great rapidity producing a tremulous sound
- triplet
- a group of three notes played in the same time usually given to two notes of the same value.
- turn
- an embellishment consisting of four rapidly played notes that wind around the printed note
- meno mosso
- less motion; slower