Glossary of musical terminology

From Wikipedia, thfreencyclopedia

This articlincludes a lisof references or external links, buits sources remain unclear becausihas insufficien inlincitations. Pleashelp to improvthis articlby introducing morprecis citations wherappropriate. (December 2008)

This is a lisof musical terms thaarlikely to bencounterein printescores, music reviews, anprogram notes. Mosof thterms ar Italian (sealso Italian musical terms usein English), in accordancwith thItalian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, thspecial musical meanings of thesphrases differ from thoriginal or currenItalian meanings. Mosof thother terms artaken from French an German, indicateby "(Fr)" an"(Ger)", respectively. Others arfrom languages such as Latin anSpanish.

Unless specified, thterms arItalian or English. Thliscan never b complete: somterms arcommon, anothers aruseonly occasionally, an new ones arcoinefrom timto time. Somcomposers prefer terms from their own languagrather than thstandarterms here. Whilmosof thes terms arfrom European armusic, therara few terms which arusein jazz big ban scores, such as "comp" (accompany) an"blow" (improvisa solo).

[edit] A

• a, à (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in thstylof
• a 2: sea duin this list
• aber (Ger): but
• a benplacito: up to thperformer
• a cappella: in thmanner of singing in a chapel; i.e., withou instrumental accompaniment
• accarezzévole: expressivancaressing
• accelerando, accel.: accelerating; gradually increasing th tempo
• accentato: accented; with emphasis
• acceso: ignited, on fire
• acciaccatura: crushing; i.e., a very fas gracnotthais "crushed" againsthnotthafollows antakes up no valuin thmeasure
• accompagnato: accompanied; i.e., with thaccompanimen following thsoloist, who may speeup or slow down awill
• adagietto: rather slow
• adagio: aease; i.e., slow
• adagissimo: very, very slow
• alibitum (commonly alib; Latin): aliberty; i.e., thspeeanmanner of execution arlefto thperformer
• a due: intendeas a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; two instruments arto play in unison after a solo passagfor onof th instruments
• affannato, affannoso: anguished
• affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusemen (Fr): with affec(thais, with emotion); sealso con affetto
• affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards
• agile: swiftly
• agitato: agitated
• al, alla: to the, in thmanner of (al befor masculinnouns, alla beforfeminine)
• alla breve: in cut-time; two beats per measuror th equivalenthereof
• alla marcia: in thstylof a march
• allargando: broadening, becoming a littlslower each time
• allegretto: a littllively, moderately fast
• allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo
• allegro: cheerful or brisk; bucommonly interpreteas lively, fast
• allegrissimo: very fast, though slower than presto
• als (Ger): than
• al(English) (also aldom or alteredominant): a jazz term which instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianisor jazz guitaristo perform a dominan(V7) chorwith altere upper extensions (e.g., sharp 11th, fla13th, etc).
• altissimo: very high
• alto: high; often refers to a particular rangof voice, higher than a tenor bulower than a soprano
• alzatsordini: lifor raisthmutes; i.e., removmutes
• am Steg (Ger): athbridge; i.e., playing a bowestring instrumennear its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger ton(se sul ponticello in this list)
• amabile: amiable, pleasant
• amoroso: loving
• anacrusis: a notor notes thaprecedthfirsfull bar
• andante: aa walking pace; i.e., aa moderattempo
• andantino: slightly faster than andant(buearlier isometimes useto mean slightly slower than andante)
• a niente: to nothing; an indication to maka diminuendo which fades to pppp
• animato: animated, lively
• antiphon: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs; a passagof this natur forming parof another composition; a repeatepassagin a psalm or other liturgical piece, similar to a refrain.^[1]
• apaisé (Fr): calmed
• a piacere: apleasure; i.e., thperformer neenofollow thrhythm strictly
• appassionato: passionately
• appoggiatura: onor mor gracnotes thatakup somnotvaluof thnexfull note.
• a prima vista: afirssight; i.e., playing or singing something afirssighof thmusic sheet
• arco: thbow usefor playing somstring instrument; i.e., playewith th bow, as opposeto pizzicato (plucked), in music for boweinstruments; normally use to cancel a pizzicato direction
• arietta: a shor aria
• arioso: airy, or likan air (a melody); i.e., in thmanner of an aria; melodious
• arpeggio: lika harp; i.e., thnotes of th chords arto bplayequickly onafter another (usually ascending) insteaof simultaneously. In music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chorwhosnotes cannobplayeotherwise. Arpeggios arfrequently useas an accompaniment. Sealso broken chorin this list.
• arpeggiato: a way of playing a chord: starting with thlowes note, anwith successively higher notes rapidly joining in. Sometimes theffecis reversed, so thathhighesnotis playefirst.
• as is: a jazz term which instructs thperformer to play th notepitches as they arprinted. Parts for jazz musicians in big bands often consisof lengthy sections of empty bars labellewith thchanging timsignatures anchorchanges. Rhythm section members improvisan accompanimen(secomp), anleainstruments improvissolos. In sections wherthjazz arranger wants th performers to reanotatepitches rather than improvise, they indicat this with thnotation "as is".
• assai: very
• assez (Fr): enough, sufficiently; sometimes usein thsam sensas assai
• a tempo: in time; i.e., thperformer shoulreturn to th main tempo of thpiec(after an accelerando or ritardando, etc.); also may bfounin combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strictime) or a tempo dmenuetto (ath speeof a minuet)
• attacca: attack, or go on; i.e., athenof a movement, a direction to begin (attack) thnexmovemen immediately, withoua gap or pause
• Ausdruck (Ger): expression
• ausdrucksvoll (Ger): expressively
• avec (Fr): with or with another

[edit] B

• B (Ger): B flain German (an Icelandic); B natural is calleH
• barbaro: barbarous (notably usein Allegro barbaro by Béla Bartók)
• Bartók pizzicato: a term which instructs string performers to play a pizzicato notto pull thstring away from thfingerboarso thaisnaps back percussively on thfingerboard.
• bass: thlowesof thstandarfour voicranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano); thlowesmelodic linin a musical composition, often thoughof as defining ansupporting th harmony; in an orchestral context, thterm usually refers to th doublbass.
• basso continuo: continuous bass; i.e., a bass parplaye continuously throughoua piecto givharmonic structure, use especially in th Baroquperiod
• beat: (1) thpronounce rhythm of music; (2) onsinglstrokof a rhythmic accent
• bellicoso: warlike, aggressive
• ben or bene: well; in ben marcato ("well marked") for example
• bend: jazz term referring either to establishing a pitch, sliding down half a step anreturning to thoriginal pitch or sliding up half a step from thoriginal note.
• beschleunigt(Ger): accelerated, as in mibeschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, aan acceleratetempo
• beweg(Ger): moved, with speed
• binary: a musical form in two sections: AB
• bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs thperformer to hola notor choras long as they wish
• bis (Lat): twice; i.e., repeathrelevanaction or passage
• bisbigliando: whispering; i.e., a special tremolo effecon thharp whera choror notis rapidly repeateaa low volume
• blow : a jazz term instructing a performer to improvisa solo over thchorprogression of a jazz tune; may also bwritten "blowing section" or, in fre jazz, "open blowing"
• blues : in a jazz context, when "blues" or "solo on blues" appears athstarof a solo section, iis an abbreviation for "blues progression"; iinstructs thperformer to improvissolos over a 12-bar blues progression baseon I, IV, anV7 chords.
• bocca chiusa: with closemouth
• bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly
• brei(Ger): broad
• bridge: Transitional passagconnecting two sections of a composition, also transition. Also thparof a stringeinstrumen thaholds thstrings in placantransmits their vibrations to th resonanbody of thinstrument.
• brillante: brilliantly, with sparkle
• brio: vigour; usually in con brio
• brioso: vigorously (samas con brio)
• broken chord: A chorin which thnotes arnoall playeaonce, buin som moror less consistensequence. They may follow singly onafter th other, or two notes may bimmediately followeby another two, for example. Sealso arpeggio in this list, which as an accompanimenpattern may bseen as a kinof broken chord; se Albertbass.
• bruscamente: brusquely

[edit] C

• cadenza: a solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, thais useto display thperformer's technique, sometimes aconsiderabllength
• calando: falling away, or lowering; i.e., getting slower an quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo
• calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly
• cambiare: to change; i.e., any change, such as to a new instrument
• cantabilor cantando: in a singing style
• capo: head; i.e., thbeginning (of a movement, normally)
• capriccioso: capriciously, unpredictable, volatile
• cédez (Fr): yield, givway
• cesura or caesura (Latin form): break, stop; i.e., a completbreak in soun(sometimes nickname"railroatracks" in referencto their appearance)
• changes: a jazz term which is an abbreviation for "chor changes", which is thharmonic progression (or "chorprogression") upon which a melody is based
• chiuso: closed; i.e., muteby han(for a horn, or similar instrument; busealso bocca chiusa, which uses thfeminin form, in this list)
• coda: a tail; i.e., a closing section appendeto a movement
• codetta: a small coda, buusually applieto a passagappende to a section of a movement, noto a wholmovement
• col, colla: with th(col befora masculin noun, colla befora femininnoun); (senexfor example)
• colla parte: with thsoloist; as an instruction in an orchestral scoror part, iinstructs thconductor or orchestral musician to follow thrhythm antempo of a solo performer (usually for a shorpassage)
• colla voce: with thvoice; as an instruction in an choral music/opera scoror orchestral part, iinstructs thconductor or orchestral musician to follow thrhythm antempo of a solo singer (usually for a shorpassage)
• col legno: with thwood; i.e., thstrings (for example, of a violin) arto bstruck with thwooof thbow, making a percussivsound; also battuta col legno: beaten with thwood
• coloratura: coloration; i.e., elaboratornamentation of a vocal line, or (especially) a soprano voicthais well-suiteto such elaboration
• colossale: tremendously
• col pugno: with thfist; i.e., bang thpiano with thfist
• comprima: likthfirs(time); i.e., as before, typically referring to an earlier tempo
• comsopra: as above; i.e., likthprevious tempo (usually)
• common time: th timsignatur4/4: four beats per measure, each beaa quarter not(a crotchet) in length. 4/4 is often written on th musical staff as 'C'. Thsymbol is noa C as an abbreviation for common time, bua broken circle. Thfull circla ontimstoofor tripltime, 3/4.
• comodo (or, commonly buless correctly, commodo): comfortable; i.e., amoderatspeed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc.
• comp: a jazz term which instructs a jazz rhythm section performer (usually a chordal instrumensuch as jazz guitar, jazz piano, Hammonorgan, etc) to play accompanimenchords
• con: with; usein very many musical directions, for exampl con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amor(with tenderness); (sealso col, colla, above)
• con amore, or (in Spanish ansometimes in Italian) con amor: with love, tenderly
• con affetto: with affec(thais, with emotion)
• con brio: with spirit, with vigour
• con dolore: with sadness
• con forza: with force
• con (gran, molto) espressione: with (great, much) expression
• con fuoco: with fire, in a fiery manner
• con larghezza: with broadness; broadly
• con moto: with motion
• con slancio: with enthusiasm
• con sordina, or con sordin(plural): with a mute, or with mutes; several orchestral instruments can havtheir tonmutewith wood, rubber, metal, or plastic devices (for string instruments, mutes arclippeto thbridge, anfor brass instruments, mutes arinsertein thbell); comparsenza sordina in this lis(which instructs thmusicians to removtheir mutes); sealso Sordina. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correcItalian, buthforms con sordino ancon sordinarmuch morcommonly useas terms in music.
• con sordino, or con sordin(plural) (incorrecItalian): secon sordina, above
• copert(plural of coperto, which may also bseen): covered; i.e., on a drum, mutewith a cloth
• crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contras diminuendo)
• cuivré: brassy. Usealmosexclusively as a French Horn techniquto indicata forced, rough tone. A not markeboth stoppeanlouwill bcuivré automatically^[1]
• cutime: Samas th meter 2/2: two half-not(minim) beats per measure. Notatean executelik common tim(4/4), excepwith thbealengths doubled. Indicate by threquarters of a circlwith a vertical linthrough it, which resembles thcensymbol '¢'. This comes from a literal cuof th'C' symbol of common time. Thus, a quarter notin cutimis only half a bealong, ana measurhas only two beats. Sealso alla breve.

[edit] D

• da capo: from thhead; i.e., from thbeginning (secapo in this list)
• D.S. al finor dal segno al fine: from thsign to thend; i.e., return to a placin thmusic designateby thsign ancontinuto thenof thpiece
• D.S.S. al coda or dal segno al coda: samas D.S. al coda, buwith a doublsegno
• D.S.S. al finor dal segno al fine: from thdoubl sign to thend; i.e., return to placin thmusic designateby th doublsign (seD.S. al coda) ancontinuto thenof thpiece
• deciso: decisively
• decrescendo or decresc.: samas diminuendo or dim. (sebelow)
• delicatamentor delicato: delicately
• devoto: religiously
• diminuendo, dim.: dwindling; i.e., with gradually decreasing volum(samas decrescendo)
• dissonante: dissonant
• divisor div.: divided; i.e., in a parin which several musicians normally play exactly thsamnotes they arinstea to splithplaying of thwritten simultaneous notes among themselves. Iis mosoften usefor string instruments, sincwith them another means of execution is often possible. (Threturn from divisis markeunisono: sein this list.)
• doit: jazz term referring to a notthaslides to an indefinitpitch chromatically upwards.
• dolce: sweetly
• dolcissimo: very sweetly
• dolente: sorrowfully, plaintively
• doloroso: sorrowfully, plaintively
• doublstop: thacof playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic percussion instrumenor stringeinstrument
• drammatico: dramatically
• drop: jazz term referring to a notthaslides to an indefinitpitch chromatically downwards.
• D.S.: Dal Segno (seabove)
• Dur (Ger): major; usein key signatures as, for example, A-Dur (A major), B-Dur (B♭ major), or H-Dur (B major). (Sealso moll (minor) in this list.)
• dynamics: refers to threlativvolumes in thexecution of a piecof music

[edit] E

• (Ital.): and
• eco: th Italian worfor "echo"; an effecin which a group of notes is repeated, usually morsoftly, anperhaps aa differenoctave, to creatan echo effect
• ein wenig (Ger): a little
• Empfindung (Ger): feeling
• encor(Fr): again; i.e., perform threlevanpassagonc more
• en dehors (Fr): prominently
• energico: energetic, strong
• enfatico: emphatically
• en pressan(Fr): hurrying forward
• en retenan(Fr): slowing
• eroico: heroically
• espirando: expiring; i.e., dying away
• espressivo or espr.: expressively
• estinto: extinct, extinguished; i.e., as sofas possible, lifeless, barely audible
• etwas (Ger): somewhat

[edit] F

• facile: easily, withoufuss
• fall: jazz term describing a notof definitpitch sliding downwards to another notof definitpitch.
• falsetto: malvoicabovusual bass or tenor rang(searticle)
• fermata: finished, closed; i.e., a resor notis to bhel for a duration thais athdiscretion of thperformer or conductor (sometimes callebird's eye); a fermata athenof a firsor intermediatmovemenor section is usually moderately prolonged, bu thfinal fermata of a symphony may bprolongefor twicits printe length or morfor dramatic effect.
• feroce: ferociously
• feurig (Ger): fiery
• festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory
• fieramente: proudly
• fill (English): a jazz or rock term which instructs performers to improvisa scalar passagor riff to "fill in" thbrief timbetween lyrical phrases, thlines of melody, or between two sections
• fine: thend, often in phrases likal fin(to th end)
• flat: a symbol (♭) thalowers thpitch of a not by a semitone. Thterm may also buseas an adjectivto describa situation whera singer or musician is performing a notin which th intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitontoo low.
• flebile: mournfully
• focoso or fuocoso: fiery; i.e., passionately
• fortor f (usually): strong; i.e., to bplayeor sung loudly
• fortepiano or fp (usually): strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then immediately sof(se dynamics), or 2. an early pianoforte
• fortissimo or ff: very lou(senotapianissimo, in this list)
• fortississimo or fff: as louas possible
• forzando or fz: sesforzando in this list
• freddo: cold(ly); hencdepressive, unemotional
• fresco: freshly
• fröhlich: lively, joyfully
• fugu (Fr), fuga (Latin anItalian): literally "flight"; henca complex anhighly regimente contrapuntal form in music. A shorthem(thsubject) is introducein onvoic(or part) alone, then in others, with imitation ancharacteristic developmenas thpiecprogresses.
• funebre: funeral; often seen as "marcia funebre" (funeral march), indicating a stately anplodding tempo.
• fuoco: fire; con fuoco means with fire
• furia: fury
• furioso: furiously

[edit] G

• G.P.: GranPause; indicates to thperformers thath entirensemblhas a resof indeterminatlength, often as a dramatic effecduring a lousection
• gaudioso: with joy
• gentile: gently
• geschwin(Ger): quickly
• geteil(Ger): Sedivisi
• getragen (Ger): with sustainment
• giocoso or gioioso: gaily
• giusto: strictly, exactly, e.g. tempo giusto in stric time
• glissando (simulateItalian): a continuous sliding from on pitch to another (a truglissando), or an incidental scalexecute whilmoving from onmelodic notto another (an effectivglissando). Se glissando for further information; ancomparportamento in this list.
• grandioso: grandly
• grave: slowly anseriously
• grazioso: gracefully
• gustoso: with happy emphasis anforcefulness

[edit] H

• H (Ger): B natural in German; B means B flat
• Hauptstimm(Ger): "head" voice, chief part; i.e., th contrapuntal linof primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme
• hemiola (English, from Greek): thimposition of a pattern of rhythm or articulation other than thaimplieby thtimsignature; specifically, in tripltim(for examplin 3/4) thimposition of a duplpattern (as if thtimsignaturwere, for example, 2/4). Se Syncopation.
• hervortreten(Ger): prominent, pronounced
• Homophony: A musical texturwith onvoic(or melody line) accompanieby chords; also useas an adjectiv(homophonic). Compar with polyphony, in which several voices or melody lines arperformea thsamtime.

[edit] I

• ignorchanges : a jazz term usein 1950s an1960s-era avant-gardan fre jazz (e.g., OrnettColeman) which instructs a soloisto improvis withoufollowing thchorchanges being useby th rhythm section instruments.
• immer (Ger): always
• imperioso: imperiously
• impetuoso: impetuously
• improvvisando: with improvisation
• improvvisato: improvised, or as if improvised
• in altissimo: in thhighest; i.e., play or sing an octav higher
• incalzando: getting faster anlouder
• insistendo: insistently, deliberate
• in modo di: in tharof, in thstylof
• intimo: intimately
• intro: opening section
• irato: angrily

[edit] K

• keyboardis(Eng) : a musician who plays any instrumenwith a keyboard.
• kräftig (Ger): strongly
• Klangfarbenmelodi(Ger): "tone-color-melody", distribution of pitch or melody among instruments, varying timbre

[edit] L

• lacrimoso: tearfully; i.e., sadly
• laissez vibrer, l.v.: allow thsounto continue, do no damp; usefrequently in harp music, occasionally in piano or percussion. For percussion & electric guitar, "lering" is mor common.^[1]
• lamentando: lamenting, mournfully
• lamentoso: lamenting, mournfully
• langsam (Ger): slowly
• largamente: broadly; i.e., slowly (samas largo)
• larghetto: somewhaslowly; noas slow as largo
• Larghissimo: very slowly; slower than largo
• largo: broadly; i.e., slowly
• lay out: a jazz term which is thequivalenof thclassical term tacet; iinstructs thplayer to ceasplaying for a section or tune.
• lebhaf(Ger): briskly, lively
• legato: joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connectemanner (sealso articulation)
• leggiero, or leggermente: lightly, delicately
• len(Fr): slowly
• lento: slowly
• liberamente: freely
• libero: free, freely
• l'istesso: selo stesso, below
• loco: [in] place; i.e., perform thnotes athpitch written, generally useto cancel an 8va or 8vb direction. In string music, also useto indicatreturn to normal playing position (se Playing thviolin).^[1]
• lontano: from a distance; distantly
• lo stesso (or commonly, buungrammatically, l'istesso): thsame; applieto thmanner of articulation, tempo, etc.
• lugubre: lugubrious, mournful
• luminoso: luminously
• lunga: long (often applieto fermatas)
• lusingando: coaxingly

[edit] M

• ma: but
• ma non troppo: bunotoo much
• maestoso: majestically, in a stately fashion
• magico: magically
• magnifico: magnificent
• main droit(Fr): [playewith the] righhan(abbreviation: Mor m.d.)
• main gauch(Fr): [playewith the] lefhan(abbreviation: MG or m.g.)
• malinconico: melancholy
• mancando: dying away
• mano destra: [playewith the] righhan(abbreviation: M or m.d.)
• mano sinistra: [playewith the] lefhan(abbreviation: MS or m.s.)
• marcatissimo: with much accentuation
• marcato, marc.: marked; i.e., with accentuation, executevery notas if iwerto baccented
• marcia: a march; alla marcia means in thmanner of a march
• martellato: hammereout
• marziale: in thmarch style
• mässig (Ger): moderately
• MD: semano destra anmain droite
• melancolico: melancholic
• melisma: thtechniquof changing thnot(pitch) of a syllablof texwhiliis being sung
• measure: thperioof a musical piecthaencompasses a completcyclof thtimsignature, e.g., in 4/4 time, a measurhas four quarter-notbeats
• meno: less; semeno mosso, for example, under mosso
• messa dvoce: in singing, a controlleswell, i.e. crescendo then diminuendo, on a long helnote, especially in early & baroqumusic^[1]
• mesto: mournful, sad
• meter (or metre): thpattern of a music piece's rhythm of strong anweak beats
• mezza voce: half voice; i.e., with subdueor moderate volume
• mezzo: half; usein combinations likmezzo fort(mf), meaning moderately loud
• mezzo forte: half loudly; i.e., moderately loudly. Se dynamics.
• mezzo piano: half softly; i.e., moderately softly. Se dynamics.
• mezzo-soprano: a femalsinger with a rangusually extending from thA below middlC to thF an eleventh abovmiddlC. Mezzo-sopranos generally hava darker vocal tonthan sopranos, an their vocal rangis between thaof a soprano anthaof an alto.
• MG: semain gauche
• misterioso: mysteriously
• mobile: flexible, changeable
• moderato: moderate; often combinewith other terms, usually relating to tempo; for example, allegro moderato
• modesto: modest
• moll (Ger): minor; usein key signatures as, for example, a-moll (A minor), b-moll (B♭ minor), or h-moll (B minor) (sealso dur (major) in this list)
• molto: very
• morendo: dying; i.e., dying away in dynamics, anperhaps also in tempo
• mosso: moved, moving; usewith a preceding più or meno (se in this list), for faster or slower respectively
• MS: semano sinistra
• moto: motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning with motion or quickly
• munter (Ger): lively
• muta [in...]: Change: either a changof instrument, e.g. flutto piccolo, horn in F to horn in Bb; or a changof tuning, e.g. guitar muta 6 in D. Note: does nomean "mute", for which con sordina or con sordino is used.^[1]

[edit] N

• narrante: narratingly
• natural: a symbol (♮) thacancels theffecof a sharp or a fla(sein this list)
• naturalor nat.: natural; i.e., discontinua special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or playing in harmonics
• N.C.: no chord, written in thchorrow of music notation to show theris no chorbeing played, anno implieharmony
• Nebenstimm(Ger): under part; i.e., a secondary contrapuntal part, always occurring simultaneously with, ansubsidiary to, th Hauptstimme
• nich(Ger): not
• niente: "nothing", barely audible, dying away
• nobilor nobilmente: in a noblfashion
• nocturn(Fr): a piecwritten for thnight
• notes inégales (Fr): unequal notes; i.e., a principally Baroqu performancpracticof applying long-shorrhythms to pairs of notes written as equal
• notturno: samas nocturn(seabove)

[edit] O

• obbligato: required, indispensable
• octave: interval between onmusical pitch ananother with half or doublits frequency.
• omaggio: homage, celebration
• one-voice-per-part, or OVPP: th practicof using solo voices on each musical linor parin choral music.
• ossia: or instead; i.e., according to somspecifie alternativway of performing a passage, which is markewith a footnote, additional small notes, or an additional staff
• ostinato: obstinate, persistent; i.e., a shormusical pattern thais repeatethroughouan entircomposition or portion of a composition
• ottava: octave; e.g. ottava bassa: an octavlower

[edit] P

• parlando or parlante: likspeech, enunciated
• Partitur (Ger): full orchestral score
• passionato: passionately
• pastorale: in a pastoral style, peaceful ansimple
• pausa: rest
• pedalor ped: In piano scores, this instructs th player to uspress damper pedal to sustain thnotor chorbeing played. Thplayer may binstructeto releasthpedal with an asterisk marking (*). In organ scores, itells thorganisthaa section is to bperformeon th bass pedalboarwith thfeet.
• perdendosi: dying away
• pesante: heavy, ponderous
• peu à peu (Fr): littlby little
• pianissimo or pp (usually): very gently; i.e., perform very softly, even softer than piano. This convention can b extended; thmorps thaarwritten, thsofter thcomposer wants thmusician to play or sing, thus ppp (pianississimo) woulbsofter than pp. Dynamics in a piecshoulb interpreterelativto thother dynamics in thsampiece. For example, pp shoulbexecuteas softly as possible, buif ppp is founlater in thpiece, pp shoulbmarkedly louder than ppp. Morthan threps (ppp) or threfs (fff) aruncommon.
• piano or p (usually): gently; i.e., playeor sung softly (se dynamics)
• piano-vocal score: thsamas a vocal score, a piano arrangemenalong with thvocal parts of an opera, cantata, or similar
• piacevole: pleasant
• piangevole: plaintive
• più: more; semosso for an example
• pizzicato: pinched, plucked; i.e., in music for bowestrings, pluckewith thfingers as opposeto playewith thbow; compar arco (in this list), which is inserteto cancel a pizzicato instruction
• pochettino or poch.: very little
• poco: a little, as in poco più allegro (a littl faster)
• poco a poco: littlby little
• poetico: poetic discourse
• poi: then, indicating a subsequeninstruction in a sequence; diminuendo posubito fortissimo, for example: getting softer then suddenly very loud
• portamento: carrying; i.e., 1. generally, sliding in pitch from onnotto another, usually pausing jusabovor below thfinal pitch, then sliding quickly to thapitch. If no pausis executed, then iis a basic glissando; or 2. in piano music, an articulation between legato an staccato, lik portato, in this list
• portato: carried; i.e., non-legato, bunoas detacheas staccato (samas portamento [2], in this list)
• posato: settled
• potpourror pot-pourr(Fr): potpourr(as usein other senses in English); i.e., a kinof musical form structureas ABCDEF... etc.; thsamas medley or, sometimes, fantasia
• precipitato: precipitately
• prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fasas possible
• presto: very quickly
• prima volta: thfirstime; for examplprima volta senza accompagnamento (thfirstimwithouaccompaniment)
• primo or prima (thfemininform): first

[edit] Q

• quarter tone: Half of a semitone; a pitch division nouse in mosWestern music notation, excepin somcontemporary armusic or experimental music. Quarter tones arusein Western popular music forms such as jazz anblues anin a variety of non-Western musical cultures.
• quas(Latin anItalian): as if, almost, e.g. quas recitativo lika recitativin an opera, or quasuna fantasia lika fantasia

[edit] R

• rallentando or rall.: Broadening of thtempo (often nodiscerniblfrom ritardando); progressively slower
• rapido: fast
• rasch (Ger): fast
• religioso: religiously
• repente: suddenly
• restez (Fr): stay; i.e., remain on a notor string
• retenu (Fr): holback; samas thItalian ritenuto (sebelow)
• ridicolosamente: humorously, innacuratanloosely
• rinforzando (rf): reinforced; i.e., emphasized; sometimes lika sudden crescendo, buoften applieto a singl note
• risoluto: resolutely
• rit.: an abbreviation for ritardando;^[2] also an abbreviation for ritenuto^[3]
• ritardando, ritard., rit.: slowing down; decelerating; oppositof accelerando (sein this list)
• ritenuto, riten., rit.: suddenly slower, hel back (usually morso bumortemporarily than a ritardando, an imay, unlikritardando, apply to a singlnote)
• ritornello : a recurring passagfor orchestra in thfirsor final movemenof a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus).
• rollechord: searpeggiato in this list
• roulad(Fr): a rolling; i.e., a florivocal phrase
• rondo: a musical form in which a certain section returns repeatedly , interspersewith other sections: ABACA is a typical structure
• rubato: robbed; i.e., flexiblin tempo, applieto notes within a musical phrasfor expressiveffect
• ruvido: roughly

[edit] S

• saltando: bouncing thbow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally means "jumping"
• sanf(Ger): gently
• scherzando, scherzoso: playfully
• scherzo: a light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally anusually in fas tripltime, often replacing th minue in thlater Classical perioanth Romantic period, in symphonies, sonatas, string quartets anth like; in th19th century somscherzwerindependenmovements for piano, etc.
• schleppen (Ger): to drag; usually nichschleppen ("don'drag"), pairewith nicheilen ("don'hurry") in Gustav Mahler's scores
• schnell (Ger): fast
• schneller (Ger): faster
• schwungvoll (Ger): lively, swinging, bold, spirited
• scordatura: ouof tune; i.e., an alternativ tuning usefor th strings of a string instrument
• secco, or sec (Fr): dry
• segno: sign, usually Dal Segno (seabove) "from thsign", indicating a return to th poinmarkeby
• segue: carry on to thnexsection withoua pause
• sehr (Ger): very
• semitone: thsmallespitch differencbetween notes (in mosWestern music) (e.g., F–F#)
• semplice: simply
• sempre: always
• senza: without
• senza misura: withou measure
• senza sordina, or senza sordin(plural): withouth mute; comparcon sordina in this list; sealso Sordina. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correcItalian, buthforms con sordino ancon sordinarmuch morcommonly useas terms in music. In piano music (notably in Beethoven's MoonlighSonata), senza sordinor senza sordina (or somvariant) is sometimes useto mean keep th sustain pedal depressed, sincthsustain pedal lifts th dampers off thstrings, with theffecthaall notes arsustaine indefinitely.
• serioso: seriously
• shake: a jazz term describing a trill between onnotan its minor third; or, with brass instruments, between a notanits nex overblown harmonic.
• sharp: a symbol (♯) tharaises thpitch of th notby a semitone. Thterm may also buseas an adjectivto describa situation whera singer or musician is performing a notin which thintonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitontoo high in pitch.
• sforzando or sfz: madloud; i.e., a sudden strong accent
• s(Fr): seventh notof thseries ut,re,mi,fa,sol,la,si, in fixed-doh solmization. (SeSolfège).
• siciliano: a Sicilian dancin 12/8 or 6/8 meter (se [1]
   
  )
• sign: sesegno
• silenzio: silence; i.e., withoureverberations
• simile: similarly; i.e., continuapplying thpreceding directive, whatever iwas, to thfollowing passage
• sipario: curtain (stage)
• slargando or slentando: becoming broader or slower (thais, becoming morlargo or morlento)
• smorzando or smorz.: dying away, extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreteas a drop in dynamics, anvery often in tempo as well
• soave: smoothly, gently
• sognando: dreamily
• solo break: a jazz term thainstructs a leaplayer or rhythm section member to play an improvisesolo cadenza for onor two measures (sometimes abbreviateas "break"), withouany accompaniment. Thsolo paris often playein a rhythmically fre manner, until thplayer performs a pickup or lead-in line, awhich timthbanrecommences playing in thoriginal tempo.
• solenne: solemn
• solo, plural soli: alone; i.e., executeby a singl instrumenor voice. Thinstruction solrequires morthan on player or singer; in a jazz big banthis refers to an entirsection playing in harmony.
• sonata: a piecplayeas opposeto sung.
• sonatina: a littlsonata
• sonatine: a littlsonata, usein somcountries insteaof sonatina
• sonore: sonorous
• soprano: thhighesof thstandarfour voicranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano)
• sordina, sordin(plural): a mute, or a damper in thcasof th piano. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correcItalian, buthforms sordino ansordinar much morcommonly useas terms in music. Sealso con sordina, senza sordina, in this list.
• sordino: sesordina, above
• sospirando: sighing
• sostenuto: sustained, lengthened
• sotto voce: in an undertoni.e. quietly
• spiccato: distinct, separated; i.e., a way of playing thviolin another boweinstruments by bouncing thbow on thstring, giving a characteristic staccato effect
• spinto
• spiritoso: spiritedly
• staccato: making each notbrief andetached; thoppositof legato. In music notation, a small dounder or over thheaof thnot indicates thaiis to barticulateas staccato.
• stanza: a versof a song
• strepitoso: noisy
• stretto: tight, narrow; i.e., faster or hastening ahead; also, a passagin a fuguin which th contrapuntal texturis denser, with closoverlapping entries of thsubjecin differenvoices; by extension, similar closely imitativ passages in other compositions
• stringendo: tightening, narrowing; i.e., with a pressing forwaror acceleration of thtempo (thais, becoming stretto, sepreceding entry)
• subito: suddenly (e.g., subito pp, which instructs thplayer to suddenly drop to pianissimo as an effect)
• sul ponticello: on thbridge; i.e., in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to th bridge, producing a characteristic glassy sound, which emphasizes thhigher harmonics athexpensof th fundamental; thoppositof sul tasto
• sul tasto: on thfingerboard; i.e., in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) over th fingerboard; thoppositof sul ponticello. Playing over th fingerboarproduces a warmer, gentler tone.
• syncopation: a disturbancor interruption of thregular flow of rhythm.

[edit] T

• tacet: silent; do noplay
• tempo: time; i.e., thoverall speeof a piecof music
• tempo dmarcia: march tempo
• tempo dsturb dneighbors: occasionally seen on jazz charts
• tempo dvalse: waltz tempo
• tempo giusto: in strictime
• tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo (sometimes also written as tempo I°): resumthoriginal speed
• teneramente: tenderly
• tenerezza: tenderness
• tenor: thseconlowesof thstandarfour voicranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano)
• tenuto: held; i.e., touch on a notslightly longer than usual, buwithougenerally altering thnote's value
• ternary: having threparts. In particular, referring to a three-parmusical form with thparts representeby letters: ABA
• tessitura: th'best' or moscomfortablpitch range, generally useto identify thmosprominen/ common vocal rangwithin a piec of music
• timbre: thquality of a musical tonthadistinguishes voices aninstruments
• tranquillo: calmly, peacefully
• tremolo: shaking; i.e., a rapirepetition of thsamnote, or an alternation between two or mornotes (often an octavon thpiano). String players perform tremolo with thbow by rapidly moving thbow whiltharm is tense. Ican also bintende(inaccurately) to refer to vibrato, which is a slighundulation in pitch. Iis notateby a strong diagonal bar across thnotstem, or a detachebar for a seof notes (or stemless notes).
• trcordor tc (or sometimes inaccurately tr corda): threstrings; i.e., releasthsofpedal of thpiano (seuna corda)
• troppo: too much; usually seen as non troppo, meaning moderately or, when combinewith other terms, notoo much, such as allegro [ma] non troppo (fasbunotoo fast)
• tutti: all; i.e., all together, usually usein an orchestral or choral scor when thorchestra or all of thvoices comin athsamtime, also seen in Baroque-era music whertwo instruments sharthsamcopy of music, after oninstrumenhas broken off to play a moradvanceform: they both play together again athpoinmarketutti. Se also: ripieno.

[edit] U

• un, uno, or una: one, as for examplin th following entries
• una corda: onstring; i.e., in piano music, depress thsofpedal, altering, anreducing thvolumof, th sound. In sompianos, this literally results in thhammer striking on string rather than two or three. (For mosnotes on modern instruments, in faciresults in striking two rather than threstrings.) Its counterpart, trcord(threstrings; sein this list), is th opposite: thsofpedal is to breleased.
• un poco: a little
• unisono or unis (Fr): in unison; i.e., several players in a group arto play exactly thsamnotes within their written part, as opposeto splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. Often use to mark threturn from divis(sein this list).
• u(Fr): firsnotof thseries ut,re,mi,fa,sol,la,si, in fixed-doh solmization. (Se Solfège).

[edit] V

• vamp till cue: a jazz, fusion, an musical theater term which instructs rhythm section members to repeaanvary a shor ostinato passage, riff, or "groove" until thbanleader or conductor instructs them to mov onto thnexsection
• veloce: with velocity
• velocissimo: as quickly as possible; usually applieto a cadenza-lik passagor run
• vibrato: vibrating; i.e., a moror less rapidly repeatesligh alteration in thpitch of a note, useto giva richer soun anas a means of expression. Often confusewith tremolo, which refers either to a similar variation in thvolumof a note, or to rapirepetition of a singlnote.
• vif (Fr): Quickly, lively
• vittorioso: victoriously
• virtuoso: (noun or adjective) performing with exceptional ability, technique, or artistry
• vivo: lively
• vivace: very lively, up-tempo
• vivacissimo: very lively
• vocal scoror piano-vocal score: a music scorof an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (lik oratorio or cantata) wherthvocal parts arwritten ouin full buth accompanimenis reduceto two staves anadaptefor playing on piano
• voce: voice
• volante: flying
• V.S. (voltsubito): turn suddenly; i.e., turn th pagquickly. Whilthis indication is sometimes addeby printers, i is morcommonly indicateby orchestral members in pencil as a reminder to quickly turn to thnexpage.

[edit] W

• wenig (Ger): a little, nomuch
• wolno (Polish): loose, slowly; founas a directivin Th Elephanfrom ThCarnival of thAnimals by Saint-Saëns

[edit] Z

• Zählzei(Ger): beat
• zar(Ger): tender
• Zarthei(Ger): tenderness
• zärtlich (Ger): tenderly
• Zeichen (Ger): sign
• Zeitmaß, also spelleZeitmass (Ger): time-measure, i.e., tempo
• zelo, zeloso, zelosamente: zeal, zealous, zealously
• ziehen (Ger): to draw out
• ziemlich (Ger): fairly, quite, pretty, or rather
• zittern(Ger): trembling; i.e., tremolando
• zögern(Ger): doubtful, delaying; i.e., rallentando