Glossary of Music Terms
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: Moving, flowing
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 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. (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
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
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
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: Moving, flowing
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 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. (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
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
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
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| Kerry Shaffer, BMus (Honors) Flute Performance Private Flute Teacher for Middle Tennessee: Brentwood, Franklin, Arrington, Nolensville, Spring Hill, Murfreesboro, and the surrounding areas 1019 Valley Forge Drive Arrington TN 37014 Home: (615) 395-9291 Mobile: (615) 879-4688 email: ks@kerryshafferflute.com |