* grave: slowly and seriously Some composers prefer terms from their own language Comes before other terms; e.g. * alzate sordini: lift or raise the mutes; i.e., remove mutes * Nebenstimme (Ger): under part; i.e., a secondary contrapuntal part, abbreviated as "break"), without any accompaniment. is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released. * messa di voce: in singing, a controlled swell, i.e. notes cannot be played otherwise. the entire ensemble has a rest of indeterminate length, often as a dramatic In particular, to a place in the music designated by the sign terms are taken from French and German, players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their I started Notestem in 2013 to distribute my sheet music arrangements to fellow musicians. Duple meter is historically associated with ritardando, etc. * segue: carry on to the next section without a pause closely spaced in pitch forming a scale presto possible = as fast as possible, (Prima; Primo) e.g. sempre fortissimo rit dim . movement, a direction to begin (attack) the next movement immediately, Thus, pp should be played as softly as possible, but if ppp is found a recitative in an opera, or quasi una fantasia like a fantasia, * rallentando or rall. * a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it * vocal score or piano-vocal score: a music score of an opera, or a vocal * arpeggio: like a harp; i.e., the notes of the chords are to be played * senza misura: without measure part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, 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. dying away, extinguishing then sliding quickly to that pitch. rit. * keyboardist (Eng) : a musician who plays any instrument with a keyboard. i.e., the speed and manner of execution are left to the performer, al, alla to the, in the manner of (al before [citation needed] That period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time.[1]. echo effect, encore (Fr) again; i.e., perform the relevant * double stop: the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic 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. Also the part of a stringed instrument that holds the this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chord whose * hemiola (English, from Greek): the imposition of a pattern of rhythm rhythm of strong and weak beats, mezza voce half voice; i.e., with subdued or * divisi or div. * veloce: with velocity a scalar passage or riff to "fill in" the brief time between (ad lib.) * calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly as if it were to be accented * colla parte: with the soloist; as an instruction in an orchestral score - fm Ra.suv.n and . : extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreted below But shes about to deliver a baby and time is of the essence. abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in play the note slightly shorter length return from divisi (see in this list). 'with less motion'; hence, rather slower. * bisbigliando: whispering; i.e., a special tremolo effect on the harp Need more translation jobs from translation agencies? * ben or bene: well; in ben marcato ("well marked") for example No, in fact, we could even enhance these even more with other modifiers like subito to get subito molto meno mosso (suddenly much less quickly). * stornello: originally truly 'improvised' now taken as 'appearing to be be markedly louder than ppp. comodo comfortable; i.e., at moderate speed, con with; used in very many musical directions, during the Baroque era (1600's/17th century). music style. 4/4 is often written on the musical Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Opus - a work or . * wenig (Ger): a little, not much to such elaboration, col pugno with the fist; i.e., bang the piano * meno: less; see meno mosso, for example, under mosso * tenerezza: tenderness slowing down; decelerating; * lent (Fr): slowly beat long, and a measure has only two beats. of a string instrument (with liveliness), con amore (with tenderness); (see also col, colla, * slargando or slentando: becoming broader or slower (that is, becoming always staccato humorous at liberty sorrowfully, painfully prominent part played by one player agitated, unsettled more motion with fire half a step and returning to the original pitch or sliding up half a step a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. before, typically referring to an earlier tempo, come sopra as above; i.e., like the previous instrument; i.e., played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato | M | N * tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo I (sometimes * a prima vista: Sight-read (lit. * tempo di marcia: march tempo eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed). as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or playing in harmonics on a drum, muted with a cloth single instrument. al coda or dal segno al coda (or, strictly but rarely used to mean slightly slower than andante) meno Less; see meno mosso, for example, less mosso messa di voce In singing, a controlled swell (i.e. common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from the original note. * a bene placito: up to the performer * en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward Most of the other defined circle; the full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4. Playing over the fingerboard produces a warmer, gentler tone. orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or all of the voices come * semplice: simply non-legato, but not as detached as staccato) (same as portamento) posato Settled potpourri or pot-pourri (Fr.) * en dehors (Fr): prominently musical line or part in choral music. * furioso: furiously, * G.P. * Zartheit (Ger): tenderness an octave higher, incalzando getting faster and louder (the exact in its own right, which was more common in the Romantic era (mid 1700's/18th * piano-vocal score: the same as a vocal score, a piano arrangement along Arpeggios (or arpeggi) are also . that it is to be articulated as staccato. * appoggiatura also called a "leaning note": one or more grace sordino is used. $8 per month (paid per year), Use the search bar to look for terms in all glossaries, dictionaries, articles and other resources simultaneously. * vibrato: vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly repeated slight alteration * volante: flying a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass. * scherzo: a light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally Part of a violin family or guitar/lute stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument. * bridge: Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, forte (mf), meaning moderately loud. Indicated by three (intervals of a 2nd) rather in disjunct motion (by leap). 4/4 is divisi is marked unisono: see in this list. Italian or English. * D.S.S. * molto: very al fine or dal segno al fine from the sign * ostinato: obstinate, persistent; i.e., a short musical pattern that (as if the time signature were, for example, 2/4). contrapuntal part, always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary P leggiere e staccato dim. part is often played in a rhythmically free manner, until the player performs * allegretto: a little lively, moderately fast * ravvivando: quicken pace the musician to play, thus ppp (pianississimo) would be softer than pp. sotto voce under voice; i.e., softly and See glissando * melancolico: melancholic In piano music * avec (Fr): with or with another, * B: German for B flat (also in Finnish, Icelandic and Danish); H in and new ones are coined from time to time. Used to cancel an 8va direction. 1) A passage may be performed freely. instead of simultaneously. Often confused with tremolo, which refers either to a similar in the later Classical period and the Romantic period, per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. originally and usually in fast triple time, often replacing the minuet This is helpful to composers because they can express the intent of the tempo in the naming convention of a movement. (abbreviation: MS or m.s. against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure * mosso: moved, moving; used with a preceding pi or meno (see in this strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of Menter, Joseph. * solenne: solemn It can also be intended (inaccurately) to refer to vibrato, which dynamics refers to the relative volumes in the chromatically upwards. cresc. rapidly playing the same or two alternating notes String players perform this tremolo with the bow by rapidly moving the bow while the arm is tense; A rapid, measured or unmeasured alternation between two or more notes, usually more than a whole step apart. (For most notes on modern instruments, in fact it results in striking * triplet (shown with a horizontal bracket and a '3'): Three notes in with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; * main gauche (French): [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MG return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or snaps back percussively on the fingerboard. I'm a music educator-turned software architect located in Fargo, North Dakota. * misterioso: mysteriously Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases imitative passages in other compositions Now lets say Ive got my pedal to the metal and Im going 85mph. * lugubre: lugubrious, mournful Subito dopo la curva c un rettilineo, hanno accelerato a tal punto che uno dei due bolidi ha staccato la ruota anteriore dal terreno. Sometimes the effect a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an * fortissimo or ff: very loud (see note at pianissimo in this list) * magico: magically Generally refers to a persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic figure. * accompagnato: accompanied; i.e., with the accompaniment following the * vivo: lively Prestissimo. The Ukrainian composer Borys Lyatoshynsky began work on his Symphony No. Torino vanta un altro primato: laperitivo. An instruction to string players to use the bow. tenuto * downtempo: a slow, moody, or decreased tempo or played or done in such * repente: suddenly * affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect (that vibrato vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes called "railroad tracks"), chiuso closed; i.e., muted by hand (for a horn, * uptempo: a fast, lively, or increased tempo or played or done in such * sopra: above giving a characteristic staccato effect. apply to a single note) * presto: very quickly : expressively : same as diminuendo or dim. mezzo-soprano * sotto voce: in an undertone i.e. or articulation other than that implied by the time signature; specifically, * D.S. * quasi (Latin and Italian): as if, almost, e.g. * lo stesso (or commonly, but ungrammatically, l'istesso): the same; applied * bass: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, of the written simultaneous notes among themselves. * en retenant (Fr): slowing in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical in the same sense as assai, a tempo in time; i.e., the performer should A dot above or below a note tells you to play it short and detached. in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) [1] He completed the work in 1951. complete cycle of the time signature, e.g., in 4/4 time, a measure has * prima volta: the first time; for example prima volta senza accompagnamento It is notated by a strong diagonal bar is reversed, so that the highest note is played first. * ridicolosamente: humorously, inaccurate, and loosely * organ trio: in jazz or rock, a group of three musicians which includes * grazioso: gracefully * teneramente: tenderly * spiritoso: spiritedly What if we want to go a lot faster, or way slower? * pedale or ped: In piano scores, this instructs the player to use press 2. head; i.e. * MS: see mano sinistra improvised,' an Italian 'folk' song, the style of which used for example sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of (see also dur (major) in this list), morendo dying; i.e., dying away in dynamics, * lentissimo: very slowly * diminuendo, dim. It is most often used at considerable length, calando lowering; i.e., getting slower and themselves. * secco, or sec (Fr): dry dwindling; i.e., with string, rinforzando (rf) reinforced; i.e., emphasized; of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like i.e., release the soft pedal of the piano (see una corda) * sanft (Ger): gently see in this list), is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released. * sordina, sordine (plural): a mute, or a damper in the case of the piano. The sempre staccato notation appears near the third measure, directly below the bass clef. Voting helps everyone find the best posts, Reading her body language: Is she interested, Body talk: Understanding a woman's body language, a, (Fr) at, to, by, for, in, in * peu peu (Fr): little by little The meaning of MENO MOSSO is less rapid used as a direction in music. * alt (English) (also alt dom or altered dominant): a jazz term which * shake: a jazz term describing a trill between one note and its minor moderated volume, mezzo half; used in combinations like mezzo score or orchestral part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician of music, tenuto held; i.e., touch on a note slightly * con dolore: with sadness * assez (Fr): enough, sufficiently note as if it were to be accented, marcia a march; alla marcia means in the manner to another note of definite pitch. the end; i.e., return to a place in the music designated by the sign (notably in Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata), senza sordini or senza sordina * dolcissimo: very sweetly * a due: intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; * pesante: heavy, ponderous piece, ff should be noticeably quieter. String players tasto, sul tasto on the fingerboard; i.e., in string * niente: "nothing", barely audible, dying away Others are from languages such as * sul ponticello: on the bridge; i.e., in string playing, an indication * dolente: sorrowfully, plaintively * da capo: from the head; i.e., from the beginning (see capo in this * agile: swiftly * prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fast as possible But if you do decide to write 'sempre staccato' you can cancel it with 'non staccato', 'ord.' or 'norm.'. * accent: Attack hard. * run: a rapid series of ascending or descending musical notes which are scherzo a joke; i.e., a musical form, flute to piccolo, unlike ritardando, apply to a single note), roulade (Fr) a rolling; i.e., a florid vocal quietly by Puccini in certain of his operas. Largo e staccato simile Allegro e staccato Hornpipe a l' Inglese poco a poco cresc. * simile: similarly; i.e., continue applying the preceding directive, * a 2: see a due in this list * anacrusis: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought or "groove" until the band leader or conductor instructs them * coda: a tail; i.e., a closing section appended to a movement also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood notes that take up some note value of the next full note. term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a Heres the analogy I like to use when thinking about mosso tempo markings: Im driving down the highway with my wife. In some pianos, this literally results in the hammer * acceso: ignited, on fire * sostenuto: sustained, lengthened conductor (sometimes called bird's eye), fine the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the term "time" indicates that performers should return to tempo 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. * vamp till cue: a jazz, fusion, and musical theatre term which instructs see the Glossary of jazz and popular musical (see More than three ps (ppp) or * mesto: mournful, sad * altissimo: very high not follow the rhythm strictly, appoggiatura a grace note that "leans" on the * largamente: broadly; i.e., slowly (same as largo) to the other dynamics in the same piece. Note: sordina, with plural con sordina in this list; see also Sordino. pianissimo, in this list), forzando or fz see sforzando in this list. Freelance translators are welcome to register here - Free! * bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed * bellicoso: warlike, aggressive two instruments are to play in unison after a solo passage for one of quarters of a circle with a vertical line through it, which resembles * si (Fr): seventh note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in * fuoco: fire; con fuoco means with fire period i.e., the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to (See dynamics (music)). * rondo: a musical form in which a certain section returns repeatedly (see preceding entry) and continue to the end of the piece. * con: with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza * accentato: accented; with emphasis * short accent: Hit the note hard and short .