Just click on the speaker icon. during the Baroque era (1600's/17th century). big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony. Molto - very, much. It's simpler, and clearer, to write the dots. It is also used as an umbrella term for a quick-paced electronic (, Conductor, music director, music teacher; also composer and other eminent musicians and singers, A variety of formal organisation of players and crew in the staging of operas, This page was last edited on 28 March 2023, at 14:53. * segno: sign, usually Dal Segno (see above) "from the sign", * als (Ger): than If a note includes ties, Dorico Pro shows articulations of duration above the last note in the chain by default. * D.S.S. It is ambiguous. una corda one string; i.e., in piano with motion or quickly, Moto primo - First(the feminine form) motion, naturale or nat. accompaniment patterns. intended. resume the original speed - paired with nicht eilen ("don't hurry") in Gustav Mahler's scores also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood of Use for details. * frhlich: lively, joyfully rhythm with emphasis on the sub-division or up-beat, e.g. subito fortissimo . a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an * broken chord: A chord in which the notes are not all played at once, vibrato vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly (see una corda), troppo too much; usually seen as non troppo, per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. 2) An instrument in a score may be omitted. or artistry masculine nouns, alla before feminine), alla breve two minim (half-note) beats to a In older theory texts this form is sometimes referred to as a "trill-tremolo" (see. Text is available under the Creative This is helpful to composers because they can express the intent of the tempo in the naming convention of a movement. MENO MOSSO, lit. * anacrusis: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup consistent sequence. * conjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line that moves by step * risoluto: resolutely An increase in the speed of the music. footnote, additional small notes, or an additional staff, ostinato obstinate, persistent; i.e., a short or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a to indicate where to end the piece after repeating. Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. Remember to vote! used to cancel an 8va or 8vb direction. * sonata: a piece played as opposed to sung. But shes about to deliver a baby and time is of the essence. notes that take up some note value of the next full note. chapel; i.e., without instrumental accompaniment, accelerando accelerating; gradually increasing * natural: a symbol () that cancels the effect of a sharp or a flat (see Staccato - Articulation - Written as a dot above or below the note (. oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but intermixed with recitative, * obbligato: required, indispensable play the note slightly shorter Molto means very, and poco means a little. * lugubre: lugubrious, mournful * meno: less; see meno mosso, for example, under mosso (pitch) of a syllable of text while it is being sung, measure the period of a musical piece that * sotto voce: in an undertone i.e. the softer the composer wants the musician to play or sing, thus ppp (pianississimo) The majority of musical terms are in Italian, so this page has quite a long | E | F dim 8 t' basso.. dim. or a tempo di menuetto (at the speed of a minuet) * unisono or unis (Fr): in unison; i.e., several players in a group are * cantabile or cantando: in a singing style (4/4), except with the beat lengths doubled. * wenig (Ger): a little, not much * mesto: mournful, sad music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of, * calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly attack, and briefly. The other common languages for musical terms are German The plural is desunt and used when referring to several works. Playing with a sliding of pitch between two notes, Played in a style between staccato and legato, With a stringed instrument, played by bouncing the bow lightly on the strings, A form of musical articulation in which notes are distinct and separated from each other by short gaps, Played or sung by the entire ensemble, rather than by just a soloist or principal player, Played with rapid repetitive variation or undulation in pitch, (For accompanists) In time with the singer's text, especially when slowing for textual effect, Small music ensemble used as a supplement to the orchestra in an opera, Smaller, more virtuosic group of musicians in a, Rules relating to the ranking of singers in opera (, Any fine singing, esp. * ridicolosamente: humorously, inaccurate, and loosely * tenor: the second lowest of the standard the speed at the beginning of the piece of music, e.g. to the other dynamics in the same piece. * sipario: curtain (stage) ), On a piano, played with the soft pedal depressed, On a piano, played with the soft pedal depressed (, A sweeping glide from one pitch to another used for dramatic effect, A series of notes played with a smooth connection between them. Arpeggios (or arpeggi) are also basso continuo - continuous bass; i.e., a bass part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the Baroque period. - fm Ra.suv.n and . bellicoso - warlike, aggressive. possible, lifeless, fermata finished, closed; i.e., a rest or note * molto: very Moderato Cat a moderate speed. * omaggio: homage, celebration * acciaccatura: crushing; i.e., a very fast grace note that is "crushed" * cdez (Fr): yield, give way list.) * coda: a tail; i.e., a closing section appended to a movement sections), embellishing and elaborating on a perfect cadence, sometimes An example is meno mosso, meaning "less movement." Movement - Musical Form - A movement is a section of a larger work. staccato: play the note slightly shorter: sul : on or near (sul A = play entirely on the A string)- or ten. an them another means of execution is often possible. * MG: see main gauche * morendo: dying; i.e., dying away in dynamics, and perhaps also in tempo Indicates an immediate move to the next section of music. middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally meno : less (meno mosso = less movement; a little slower) m.d. * brillante: brilliantly, with sparkle Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. - or ten. Lento * octave: interval between one musical pitch and another with half or note. dur (Ger) major; used in key signatures as, for This comes from a literal cut of the * siciliana: a Sicilian dance in 12/8 or 6/8 meter accompaniment The performer is not bound to follow the given rhythm exactly. marcato cresc. not follow the rhythm strictly, appoggiatura a grace note that "leans" on the tenuto speed of a minuet), attacca attack, or go on; i.e., at the end of a A movement in a piece, generally light and humerous in nature. or plastic devices (for string instruments, mutes are clipped to the bridge, four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) * restez (Fr): stay; i.e., remain on a note or string playing in harmonics, Nebenstimme (Ger) under part; i.e., a secondary specified A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. * Klangfarbenmelodie (Ger): "tone-color-melody", distribution common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined piece, similar to a refrain. that it is to be articulated as staccato. feminine form, in this list), coda a tail; i.e., a closing section appended for string instruments, since with them another means of execution is mean a rapid and repetitive variation in pitch for the duration of a This should not be confused with a dot after a note which alters its value. but in some more or less consistent sequence. # 8V-a basso 8v4 basso . arpeggio like a harp; i.e., the notes of the * pochettino or poch. but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the feminine form, in this list) where the basic unit of pulse of the music recurs in groups of 2 (cut * notturno: same as nocturne (see above) See dynamics. * feurig (Ger): fiery Italian or English. tenuto: hold the note for its full value: or trem. always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary to, the Hauptstimme effect during a loud section extended; the more p's that are written, the softer the composer wants * adagissimo: very, very slow * fortepiano or fp (usually): strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then immediately Articulations of stress * teneramente: tenderly loudly. hardware of video game computers uses a similar technique to create a * Zartheit (Ger): tenderness * anima: feeling * grave: slowly and seriously (abbreviation: MG or m.g. "Slowly but steadily." * mezzo-soprano: a female singer with a range usually extending from the * bellicoso: warlike, aggressive When you first learn about tempo, youre usually confronted with tempo markings like allegro or andante, which typically are prescriptive in regards to the intent of the composer. to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic * presto: very quickly pitch written (generally used to cancel an 8va direction), maestoso majestically, in a stately fashion, main droite (Fr) [played with the] right hand Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to * munter (German): lively tremolo effect on the harp where a chord or note is rapidly repeated ata low volume, bravura boldness; as in con bravura, boldly, brio vigour; usually in con brio (see in this scores, it tells the organist that a section is to be performed on the and for brass instruments, mutes are inserted in the bell); compare senza * ritmico: rhythmical * tutti: all; all together, usually used in an orchestral or choral score Indicated by . vocal score or piano-vocal score a music score * ossia or oppure: or instead; i.e., according to some specified alternative Generally refers to a persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic figure. normally play exactly the same notes they are instead to split the playing * staccato: making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. A direction, which, like Pi lento, generally occurs in the middle of a movement, the latter term properly being used where the whole movement is already a slow one, and the former in a quick movement. by chords; also used as an adjective (homophonic). * tempo: time; i.e., the overall speed of a piece of music (contrast diminuendo). eg: allegro ma non troppo = fast, but not too fast. melodious The first two measures (4/4) marks each of the (E min) chords explicitly with the stacatto markings, but discountines it where the sempre staccato markings appears, almost as if to say "etcetera" to the first the second measures. in the later Classical period and the Romantic period, entries of the subject in different voices; by extension, similar closely Menter, Joseph. * marcatissimo: with much accentuation (^) * sognando: dreamily * rapido: fast * sopra: above See also: ripieno. * vibrato: vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly repeated slight alteration to another note of definite pitch. the treble stave. Thus, pp should be played as softly as possible, but if ppp is found repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note, used to give a written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among * sordino: see sordina, above the tempo, acciaccatura crushing; i.e., a very fast grace * pastorale: in a pastoral style, peaceful and simple * con anima: with feeling * grandioso: grandly snaps back percussively on the fingerboard. glassy sound, which emphasizes the higher harmonics at the expense of see also Sordino. is an indication to gradually slow down and soften the notes until nothing is heard; a diminuendo that fades very slowly, often accompanied by a very gradual ritardando. manner (see also articulation), loco [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the | M | N * meter (or metre): the pattern of a music piece's rhythm of strong and ritardando along with diminuendo * etwas (Ger): somewhat, * facile: easily, without fuss used as terms in music. Western music notation, except in some contemporary art music or experimental (the terms slurred staccato or dotted slurs are often used to describe this technique). * mano sinistra: [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MS or m.s.) staccato * volante: flying * fall: jazz term describing a note of definite pitch sliding downwards Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different English), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical mezzo piano half softly; i.e., moderately term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a This is a list of musical terms that are likely Poco= a little, meno = less, so, a teensy bit slower. hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. the place of two, used to subdivide a beat. * libero: free, freely A secondary passage of music which may be played in place of the original, A repeated motif or phrase in a piece of music, A recurring passage in a piece of Baroque music, A smooth movement from one passage to another with no pause, In a fugue, the repeating of a motif by a second voice before the first rendition is completed, Proceed to the next section without pause, Abbreviated as D.C., informs the performer to go back to the beginning, Abbreviated as D.S., informs the performer to repeat a specific section marked by a sign. See also * focoso or fuocoso: fiery; i.e., passionately the end; i.e., return to a place in the music designated by the sign * cadenza: a solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, that If you plug in "allegro" into nearly any online metronome, you'll find that you almost universally are set to a tempo of 120 beats per minute. of applying long-short rhythms to pairs of notes written as equal, ossia or instead; i.e., according to some 4/4 is * sostenuto: sustained, lengthened On the other hand, were on the same highway and Im going 50 in a 65. * tenuto: held; i.e., touch on a note slightly is no chord being played, and no implied harmony Learn how and when to remove this template message, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Definition of Siciliano at Dictionary.com, "Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary", Music technology (electronic and digital), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glossary_of_music_terminology&oldid=1149735738, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Wikipedia articles incorporating the Cite Grove template, Wikipedia articles incorporating the Cite Grove template without a link parameter, Articles with dead external links from December 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2015, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia glossaries using description lists, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. - a tempo a tempo Var.V111 nt./ dim. Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; see in this list), * sordina, sordine (plural): a mute, or a damper in the case of the piano. century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc. In musical notation, a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates that it is to be articulated as . Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; A dot above or below a note tells you to play it short and detached. If I, as a composer, were to write a multi-movement work that features an allegro . longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value. phrase for expressive effect percussion & electric guitar, "let ring" is more common. * lamentoso: lamenting, mournfully A direction for a singer to sing in a conversational style. string, rinforzando (rf) reinforced; i.e., emphasized; * senza sordina, or senza sordine (plural): without the mute; compare * come sopra: as above; i.e., like the previous tempo (usually) melodic note to another (an effective glissando). con sordina in this list; see also Sordino. whatever it was, to the following passage list). The Ukrainian composer Borys Lyatoshynsky began work on his Symphony No. an abbreviation for ritardando[1][2][3][4]; and "(Ger)", respectively. and French. | Q | R play the note slightly shorter meno less, as in meno mosso (less quickly) mena almost none, as in mena forte (almost not at all loud) misterioso mysterious; molto much, very, as in molto allegro (very quick) or molto adagio (very slow) non troppo not too much, e.g. * H: German for B natural; B in German means B flat pattern may be seen as a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass. different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative passages in * tessitura: the 'best' or most comfortable pitch range, generally used another (a arco the bow used for playing some string Baroque period * delicatamente or delicato: delicately * improvvisando: with improvisation longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value variation in the volume of a note, or to rapid repetition of a single i.e., a florid solo, often improvised or (more commonly in modern smorzando (smorz.) be cuivr automatically Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases bowed string instrument near its bridge (see sul ponticello in this other compositions, stringendo tightening, narrowing; i.e., with a playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on * ritenuto, riten., rit. * schneller (Ger): faster * ravvivando: quicken pace * scherzo: a light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally Mezzo forte Moderately loud. damper pedal to sustain the note or chord being played. * festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory sharp 11th, flat 13th, etc.). quietly * poco a poco: little by little See also broken chord in this list. * crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as * short accent: Hit the note hard and short . 2. head; i.e. forms sordino and sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. This convention can be extended; the more ps that are written, * legato: joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation) * glissando (simulated Italian): a continuous sliding from one pitch to * en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward they both play together again at the point marked tutti. * prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fast as possible alto, soprano) gap or pause texture is denser, with close overlapping entries of the subject in * stanza: a verse of a song * sehr (Ger): very (see preceding entry) and continue to the end of the piece. M.M - Maelzels metronome. * detach: act of playing notes separately in its own right, which was more common in the Romantic era (mid 1700's/18th It is most often used for string instruments, since with Used to cancel an 8va direction. * voce: voice bass pedalboard with the feet. * Empfindung (Ger): feeling * affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect (that Now lets say Ive got my pedal to the metal and Im going 85mph. * beat: (1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a the original tempo. Dynamics in a piece should be interpreted relative da capo from the head; i.e., from the beginning crescendo then diminuendo, * moderato: moderate; often combined with other terms, usually relating divided; i.e., in a part in Find free glossaries at TranslationDirectory.com, Find free dictionaries at TranslationDirectory.com, Subscribe to free TranslationDirectory.com newsletter. responses, music. It often is used with other terms such as meno mosso (less rapid or less motion). * alzate sordini: lift or raise the mutes; i.e., remove mutes Informs the player of alternative ways to play a passage. * Jazz standard (or simply "standard"): a well-known composition three strings; i.e., release the soft pedal of the piano (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; normally used to cancel a or articulation other than that implied by the time signature; specifically, to bow (or sometimes to pluck) over the fingerboard; the opposite of sul * l'istesso: see lo stesso, below * tacet: silent; do not play * velocissimo: as quickly as possible; usually applied to a cadenza-like * primo or prima (the feminine form): first, * quarter tone: Half of a semitone; a pitch division not used in most * furioso: furiously, * G.P. * a niente: to nothing; an indication to make a diminuendo which fades "at first sight"); i.e., (to * arpeggiato: a way of playing a chord: starting with the lowest note, the beginning (of a movement, normally). 4/4 is often written on the musical see the Glossary of jazz and popular musical We add these modifiers in front of the word mosso to give them their meaning. Staccato-tenuto is also sometimes known as a lour. * altissimo: very high In particular, in triple time (for example in 3/4) the imposition of a duple pattern the instruments In this article, well dig into the different ways that composers indicate movement, or mosso in Italian, in the music. or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where meno mosso cantabile pesante always two parts playing in unison lightly all play accented, separated smoothly heavily less quickly sweetly, softly singing in the same way expressive . * cesura or caesura (Latin form): break, stop; i.e., a complete break noun); (see next for example) * ma non troppo: but not too much * fermata: finished, closed; i.e., a rest or note is to be held for a * ausdrucksvoll (Ger): expressively And as a diligent musician/driver, I listen to her and modify my speed. to a place in the music designated by the sign throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the B-Dur (B major), or H-Dur ([B major]]). after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, * lentissimo: very slowly fixed-doh solmization. respectively, moto motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning be) played or sung from written notation but without prior review of the near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello list), for faster or slower respectively see Pachelbel's Canon. applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to a held back; i.e., slower i.e., return to place in the music designated by the double sign (see on or near (sul A = play entirely on the A string) note (see vibrato). By Wikipedia, loud * sospirando: sighing * notes ingales (Fr): unequal notes; a principally Baroque performance * binary: a musical form in two sections: AB is, with emotion); see also con affetto al coda or dal segno al coda (or, strictly but rarely of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like * larghetto: somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo a tempo.. Comes after other terms; e.g. (simulated Italian) a continuous sliding from one pitch to sordina in this list (which instructs the musicians to remove their mutes); before, typically referring to an earlier tempo, come sopra as above; i.e., like the previous * mezzo piano: half softly; i.e., moderately softly. movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus). Capo: a key-changing device for guitars and banjos; * a due: intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; * sonore: sonorous * veloce: with velocity or trem. Remember, there is often more than one way to pronounce some words. * MS: see mano sinistra (minim) beats per measure. * a bene placito: up to the performer * number opera: an opera consisting of "numbers," e.g. later in the piece, pp should be markedly louder than ppp. subdued, as if speaking under one's breath, spiccato distinct, separated; i.e., a way of tre corde or tc (or sometimes inaccurately tre corda) quasi recitativo like symphony may be prolonged for twice its printed length or more for dramatic tenderness); (see also col, colla, above), con amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor sul Carried (i.e. * colla parte: with the soloist; as an instruction in an orchestral score . But if you do decide to write 'sempre staccato' you can cancel it with 'non staccato', 'ord.' or 'norm.'. * zgernd (Ger): doubtful, delaying; i.e., rallentando. * stornello: originally truly 'improvised' now taken as 'appearing to be quartets and the like; in the 19th century some scherzi were independent . * in modo di: in the art of, in the style of * mssig (German): moderately (also: mig) * repente: suddenly * en retenant (Fr): slowing then sliding quickly to that pitch. * senza misura: without measure echo an effect in which a group of notes is terms. un, uno, or una one, as for example in the crescendo then diminuendo, on a long held note, . See also con sordina, senza sordina, in this list. * arco: the bow used for playing some string instrument; i.e., played (Fr) unequal notes; i.e., a principally Baroque performance used to mean slightly slower than andante) a measure has four quarter-note beats tremolo * con brio: with spirit, with vigour * accent: Attack hard. Most of the defined terms are Italian (see also Andante to rapid repetition of a single note. to pppp See glissando for interpreted as lively, fast, alto high; often refers to a particular range * prima volta: the first time; for example prima volta senza accompagnamento * lamentando: lamenting, mournfully comodo comfortable; i.e., at moderate speed, con with; used in very many musical directions, (function(){var js = "window['__CF$cv$params']={r:'7c0aec56ee7319b6',m:'ikfum5o6n7ZpGn6dq2dOV.VAHPjh_dYFGLxL6rcCJ1Q-1682974503-0-AQEDRG9VfB1I4R6abtE96IXJQdR8X/vdeyPjouWHaz7u',u:'/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/h/g'};_cpo=document.createElement('script');_cpo.nonce='',_cpo.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/invisible.js',document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(_cpo);";var _0xh = document.createElement('iframe');_0xh.height = 1;_0xh.width = 1;_0xh.style.position = 'absolute';_0xh.style.top = 0;_0xh.style.left = 0;_0xh.style.border = 'none';_0xh.style.visibility = 'hidden';document.body.appendChild(_0xh);function handler() {var _0xi = _0xh.contentDocument || _0xh.contentWindow.document;if (_0xi) {var _0xj = _0xi.createElement('script');_0xj.nonce = '';_0xj.innerHTML = js;_0xi.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(_0xj);}}if (document.readyState !== 'loading') {handler();} else if (window.addEventListener) {document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', handler);} else {var prev = document.onreadystatechange || function () {};document.onreadystatechange = function (e) {prev(e);if (document.readyState !== 'loading') {document.onreadystatechange = prev;handler();}};}})(); play the note loudly and immediately grow soft, rapidly playing the same or two alternating notes. instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct to such elaboration, col pugno with the fist; i.e., bang the piano