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Musical Terminology
(see also Table of
General Musical Markings by origin)
A
cappella: Choral
music generally without accompaniment; literally - in the style of the
chapel
Accelerando
(Accel.) or Stringendo (String.): Gradually growing
faster
Accent:
Emphasis or stress on one tone over others
Ad
libitum (Ad lib.) or A placere: At pleasure; at will
Alla
Breve: Indicating 2/2 time or "cut time"; literally - on
the
breve (half note)
Allargando:
Growing broader, that is, louder and slower
Animato:
Animated; excited; with life and spirit
A
tempo: Return to the original tempo
Bravura:
With spirit and boldness
Caesura
(/ /): A break in the music
Cantabile:
In a singing (lyric) style
Coda:
A section added at the end of a composition or passage as a conclusion
Con:
A prefix meaning "with"
Con
anima: With animation
Con
forza: With force
Con
spirito: With spirit
Crescendo:
Increase in volume
Da
capo (D.C.): To return and perform from the beginning
Del
segno (D.S.): To return and perform from the sign
Decrescendo:
Decrease in volume
Diminuendo:
Gradually become softer
Diatonic:
Pertaining to the notes of a major or minor scale
Dissonance:
A relation or state of tension between various tones
Divisi:
To divide; as into parts
Dolce:
Sweetly
Double
flat ( bb ): Lower the
tone one full step
Double
sharp: ( ø ): Raise the tone one full step
Dynamics:
The level (amplitude) or loudness of sound
Pianissimo (pp) - very soft
Piano (p) - soft
Mezzo piano (mp) - medium soft
Mezzo forte (f) - medium loud
Forte (f) - loud
Fortissimo (ff) - very loud
e,
et,
ed: Meaning "and"
Enharmonic:
The same pitch given two different letter names, e.g., e natural and f
flat
Espressivo:
With expression
Fermata:
A sign that indicates the note or rest over which it is placed is to be
prolonged
Fine:
The end
Forzando
(fz): Forced
Interval:
The distance or relation between two pitches
Key
signature: A grouping of accidentals placed at the
beginning of a
composition or section to indicate key
Sharps (#):
Number Major Key Minor Key
0
C a
1
G e
2
D b
3
A f#
4
E c#
5
B g#
6
F# d#
7
C# a#
Flats (b): Major Key Minor Key
0
C a
1
F d
2
Bb g
3
Eb c
4
Ab f
5
Db bb
6
Gb eb
7
Cb ab
Legato:
Smooth and connected
L'istesso
tempo: In the tempo of the previous section
Maestoso:
Majestic
Marcato:
Marked, emphasized
Melisma:
Use of many notes on one syllable of text
Meno:
A prefix meaning "less"
Meno
mosso: Less motion
Modulation:
A change of key within a composition
Molto:
Much
Morendo:
Dying away
Mosso,
moto: Motion, movement
Motet:
In
Classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number
of highly varied choral musical compositions.
Niente:
Nothing
Non:
Not
Ornament:
Melodic decoration
Ossia:
Alternate version of a set of notes
Passione:
With fervent emotion or passion
Phrase:
A natural division of the melodic line with a cadence; comparable to a
clause or
sentence
Piu:
More
Poco
a poco: Little by little
Quasi:
As if, almost
Rallentando
(Rall.): Gradually slower
Ritardando
(Rit.): Gradually slower
Rubato:
Free use of accelerando and ritardando as an expressive device
Sans:
Without
SATB:
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor,
bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to
perform a particular musical work. Pieces written for SATB,
the commonest combination and that used by most Hymn tunes,
can be sung by choruses of mixed genders, by choirs of men and
boys, or by four soloists.
Scherzando:
Playfully
Sempre:
Always
Senza:
Without
Sequence:
Repetition of a set of notes at a different scale degree
Sforzando
or Sforzato (sf or sfz): Forced or accented
Simile:
In a similar manner
Sotto
voce: Softly, with a subdued voice, literally "under the
voice"
Staccato:
Short and detached
Subito:
Suddenly
Tacet:
To be silent
Tempo:
The pace at which a composition is to
be performed; rate of speed
Tempo
Terms
from slowest to fastest
Grave very, very slow
Largo very slow
Larghetto less slow than largo
Adagio slow
Lento moderately slow
Andante moderate; walking tempo
Andantino less slow than andante
Moderato medium tempo
Allegretto less fast than allegro
Allegro fast
Vivace, Vivo very fast and lively
Presto extremely fast
Prestissimo as fast as possible
Tenuto:
Hold or sustain
Tessitura:
The location of the majority of pitches in a composition or section
Timbre:
The tone quality or color of a tone
Time
Signature: A symbol indicating the type of meter and the
unit of beat
Tonality:
All notes in a scale related to one central tone
Tranquillo:
Tranquil, peaceful
Tutti:
All
Unison:
Voices on the same pitch or mixed voices in octaves
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