Glossary of musical terminology

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This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian (see also Italian musical terms used in English), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by "(Fr)" and "(Ger)", respectively. Others are from languages such as Portuguese, Latin, and Spanish.

Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. The list can never be complete: some terms are common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from time to time. Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms here.

Contents

A· B· C· D· E· F· G· H· I· J· K· L· M· N· O· P· Q· R· S· T· U· V· W· Z See also· References· External links See also: Glossary of jazz and popular music

A[edit] a, à (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in the style of... a 2: see a due in this list a battuta: return to normal tempo after a deviation. Not recommended in string parts, due to possible confusion with battuto (qv.); use a tempo, which means the same thing. ab (Ger): Off, organ stops or mutes abafando (Port): Muffled, muted abandon, avec (Fr): Free, unrestrained, passionate abbandonatamente, con abbandono: free, relaxed aber (Ger): but a bene placito: up to the performer a cappella: in the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental accompaniment accarezzévole: expressive and caressing accelerando, accel.: accelerating; gradually increasing the tempo accelerato: suddenly increasing the tempo accent: emphasize, make a particular part more important accentato/accentuato: accented; with emphasis acceso: ignited, on fire acciaccato: broken down, crushed; the sounding of the notes of a chord not quite simultaneously, but from bottom to top. acciaccatura: crushing; i.e., a very fast grace note that is "crushed" against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure accompagnato: accompanied; i.e., with the accompaniment following the soloist, who may speed up or slow down at will accuratezza: precision; accuracy con accuratezza : with precision acoustic: relating to music produced by instruments, as opposed to electric or electronic means adagietto: rather slow (but faster than adagio) adagio: at ease; i.e., play slowly adagissimo: very, very slow ad libitum (commonly ad lib; Latin): at liberty; i.e., the speed and manner of execution are left to the performer a due: intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; two instruments are to play in unison after a solo passage for one of the instruments affannato, affannoso: anguished affetto: with affect (that is, with emotion); con affetto : with emotion affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect (that is, with emotion); see also con affetto affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards agile: swiftly agitato: agitated al, alla: to the, in the manner of (al before masculine nouns, alla before feminine) alla breve: in cut-time; two beats per measure or the equivalent thereof alla marcia: in the style of a march alla polacca: in the style of a Polonaise allargando: broadening, becoming a little slower each time allegretto: a little lively, moderately fast allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo allegrezza: cheerfulness, joyfulness allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast allegrissimo: very fast, though slower than presto all' ottava: "at the octave", see ottava als (Ger): than alt (English) (also alt dom or altered dominant): a jazz term which instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist to perform a dominant (V7) chord with altered upper extensions (e.g., sharp 11th, flat 13th, etc.). altissimo: very high alto: high; often refers to a particular range of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano alzate sordini: lift or raise the mutes; i.e., remove mutes am Steg (Ger): at the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello in this list) amabile: amiable, pleasant amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) amor: love, con amore : with love, tenderly amoroso: loving anacrusis: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup andamento: used to refer to a fugue subject of above-average length andante: at a walking pace; i.e., at a moderate tempo andantino: slightly faster than andante (but earlier it is sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante) anima: life; feeling con anima : with feeling ängstlich (Ger.): anxiously a niente: to nothing; an indication to make a diminuendo which fades to pppp a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it dies away (this only works with instruments which cannot sustain a note) anima: feeling animandosi: animated, lively animato: animated, lively antiphon: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical piece, similar to a refrain.[1] apaisé (Fr): calmed a piacere: at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly, for example in a cadenza appassionato: passionately appoggiatura also called a "leaning note": one or more grace notes that take up some note value of the next full note. a prima vista: Sight-read (lit. "at first sight"); i.e., (to be) played or sung from written notation but without prior review of the written material arco: the bow used for playing some string instrument; i.e., played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction aria: self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment arietta: a short aria arioso: airy, or like an air (a melody); i.e., in the manner of an aria; melodious armonioso: harmoniously arpeggio: like a harp; i.e., the notes of the chords are to be played quickly one after another (usually ascending) instead of simultaneously. In music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chord whose notes cannot be played otherwise. Arpeggios are frequently used as an accompaniment. See also broken chord in this list. arpeggiato: a way of playing a chord: starting with the lowest note, and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. Sometimes the effect is reversed, so that the highest note is played first. articulato: articulately assai: much, Very much assez (Fr): enough, sufficiently a tempo: in time; i.e., the performer should return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or ritardando, etc.); also may be found in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) or a tempo di menuetto (at the speed of a minuet) attacca: attack or attach; go straight on; i.e., at the end of a movement, a direction to attach the next movement to the previous one, without a gap or pause
Ausdruck (Ger): expression ausdrucksvoll/mit Ausdruck(Ger): expressively, with expression avec (Fr): with or with another

B[edit]
B: German for B flat (also in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish, Croatian, Estonian and Hungarian); H in German is B natural ballabile: (from the Italian Ballabile meaning "danceable") In ballet the term refers to a dance performed by the corps de ballet. The term Grand ballabile is used if nearly all participants (including principal characters) of a particular scene in a full-length work perform a large-scale dance. barbaro: barbarous (notably used in Allegro barbaro by Béla Bartók)
Bartók pizzicato: a term that instructs string performers to play a pizzicato note to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that it snaps back percussively on the fingerboard. bass: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought of as defining and supporting the harmony; in an orchestral context, the term usually refers to the double bass. basso continuo: continuous bass; i.e., a bass part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the Baroque period battement (Fr.): used in the 17th-century to refer to ornaments consisting of two adjacent notes, such as trills or mordents battuto(It.): to strike the strings with the bow (on a bowed stringed instrument) beat: (1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic accent belebt(er) (Ger) spirited, vivacious, lively 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 and returning to the original pitch or sliding up half a step from the original note. beschleunigte (Ger): accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, at an accelerated tempo bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed binary: a musical form in two sections: AB bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs the performer to hold a note or chord as long as they wish bis (Lat): twice; i.e., repeat the relevant action or passage bisbigliando: whispering; i.e., a special tremolo effect on the harp where a chord or note is rapidly repeated at a low volume bocca chiusa: with closed mouth bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly breit (Ger): broad bridge: Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, also transition. Also the part of a stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument. brillante: brilliantly, with sparkle brio: vigour; usually in con brio: with spirit, with vigour brioso: vigorously (same as con brio) broken chord: A chord in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less consistent sequence. They may follow singly one after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. See also arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass. bruscamente: brusquely

C[edit] cadenza: a solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, that is used to display the performer's technique, sometimes at considerable length calando: falling away, or lowering; i.e., getting slower and quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo calma: calm; so con calma, calmly. Also calmato meaning calmed, relaxed calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly cambiare: to change; i.e., any change, such as to a new instrument canto: chorus; choral; chant canon or kanon (Ger): a theme that is repeated and imitated and built upon by other instruments with a time delay, creating a layered effect; see Pachelbel's Canon. cantabile or cantando: in a singing style. In instrumental music, a style of playing that imitates the way the human voice might express the music, with a measured tempo and flexible, legato. capo: 1.Capo (short for capotasto: "nut"): a key-changing device for stringed instruments (e.g., guitars and banjos)
2.head; i.e. the beginning (of a movement, normally)

capriccio: "A humorous, fanciful, or bizarre, composition, often characterized by an idiosyncratic departure from current stylistic norms."[2] See also: Capriccio (disambiguation) capriccioso: capriciously, unpredictable, volatile cédez (Fr): yield, give way cesura or caesura (Latin): break, stop; i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes nicknamed "railroad tracks" in reference to their appearance) chiuso: closed; i.e., muted by hand (for a horn, or similar instrument; but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the feminine form, in this list) coda: a tail; i.e., a closing section appended to a movement codetta: a small coda, but usually applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to a whole movement col, colla: with the (col before a masculine noun, colla before a feminine noun); (see next for example) colla parte: with the soloist; as an instruction in an orchestral score or part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo performer (usually for a short passage) colla voce: with the voice; as an instruction in a choral music/opera score or orchestral part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo singer (usually for a short passage) coll'ottava: with the addition of the octave note above or below the written note; abbreviated as col 8, coll' 8, and c. 8va col legno: with the wood; i.e., the strings (for example, of a violin) are to be struck with the wood of the bow, making a percussive sound; also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood coloratura: coloration; i.e., elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, or (especially) a soprano voice that is well-suited to such elaboration colossale: tremendously col pugno: with the fist; i.e., bang the piano with the fist come prima: like the first (time); i.e., as before, typically referring to an earlier tempo come sopra: as above; i.e., like the previous tempo (usually) common time: the time signature 4/4: four beats per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. 4/4 is often written on the musical staff as common time. The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken circle; the full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4. comodo (or, commonly but less correctly, commodo): comfortable; i.e., at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc. con: with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amore (with tenderness); (see also col, colla, above) con sordina, or con sordine (plural): with a mute, or with mutes, See Sordina. Frequently seen in music as (incorrect Italian) con sordino, or con sordini (plural). conjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line that moves by step (intervals of a 2nd) rather in disjunct motion (by leap). contralto: lowest female singing voice type contrapuntalism: see counterpoint corda: string. On piano refers to use of the soft pedal which controls whether the hammer strikes one or three strings; see una corda, tre corde below. coperti (plural of coperto, which may also be seen): covered; i.e., on a drum, muted with a cloth crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) cuivré: brassy. Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to indicate a forced, rough tone. A note marked both stopped and loud will be cuivré automatically[1] custos: Symbol at the very end of a staff of music which indicates the pitch for the first note of the next line as a warning of what is to come. The custos was commonly used in handwritten Renaissance and typeset Baroque music. cut time: Same as the meter 2/2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. Notated and executed like common time (4/4), except with the beat lengths doubled. Indicated by cut time. This comes from a literal cut of the common time symbol of common time. Thus, a quarter note in cut time is only half a beat long, and a measure has only two beats. See also alla breve.

D[edit] da capo: from the head; i.e., from the beginning (see capo in this list)
D.S.: Dal Segno, from the sign (SegnoTeken.svg)
D.S. al fine or dal segno al fine: from the sign to the end; i.e., return to a place in the music designated by the sign Segno and continue to the end of the piece
D.S.S. al coda or dal segno al coda: same as D.S. al coda, but with a double segno
D.S.S. al fine or dal segno al fine: from the double sign to the end; i.e., return to place in the music designated by the double sign (see D.S. al coda) and continue to the end of the piece deciso: decisively decelerando: slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando (same as ritardando or rallentando) decrescendo or decresc.: same as diminuendo or dim. (see below) deest: from the Latin deesse meaning to be missing; placed after a catalogue abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in it.[3] The plural, desunt, is used when referring to several works. delicatamente or delicato: delicately détaché: (French) act of playing notes separately devoto: religiously diminuendo, dim.: dwindling; i.e., with gradually decreasing volume (same as decrescendo) disjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line which moves by leap (intervals of more than a 2nd) as opposed to conjunct motion (by step) dissonante: dissonant divisi or div.: divided; i.e., in a part in which several musicians normally play exactly the same notes they are instead to split the playing of the written simultaneous notes among themselves. It is most often used for string instruments, since with them another means of execution is often possible. (The return from divisi is marked unisono: see in this list.) doit: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically upwards. dolce: sweetly dolcissimo: very sweetly dolente: sorrowfully, plaintively dolore: pain, distress, sorow, grief con dolore: with sadness doloroso: sorrowfully, plaintively doppio movimento: twice as fast double stop: the technique of playing two notes simultaneously on a bowed string instrument double dot: two dots placed side by side after a note to indicate that it is to be lengthened by three quarters of its value. downtempo: a slow, moody, or decreased tempo or played or done in such a tempo. It also refers to a genre of electronic music based on this (downtempo). drammatico: dramatically drone: bass note or chord performed continuously throughout a composition drop: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically downwards
Dur (Ger): major; used in key signatures as, for example, A-Dur (A major), B-Dur (B♭ major), or H-Dur (B major). (See also Moll (minor) in this list.) duolo: (Ital) grief dumpf (Ger): dull dynamics: the relative volume in the execution of a piece of music

E[edit] e (Ital), or ed (Ital – used before vowels): and eco: the Italian word for "echo"; an effect in which a group of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different octave, to create an echo effect ein wenig (Ger): a little
Empfindung (Ger): feeling encore (Fr): again; i.e., perform the relevant passage once more en dehors (Fr): prominently energico: energetic, strong enfatico: emphatically en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward en retenant (Fr): slowing eroico: heroically espansivo: effusive; excessive in emotional expression; gushy. espirando: expiring; i.e., dying away espressione: expression; expressively, e.g., con (gran, molta) espressione: with (great, much) expression espressivo or espr.: expressively estinto: extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as possible, lifeless, barely audible etwas (Ger): somewhat

F[edit] facile: easily, without fuss fall: jazz term describing a note of definite pitch sliding downwards to another note of definite pitch. falsetto: vocal register above the normal voice feierlich (Ger): solemn, solemnly fermata: finished, closed; i.e., a rest or note is to be held for a duration that is at the discretion of the performer or conductor (sometimes called bird's eye); a fermata at the end of a first or intermediate movement or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a symphony may be prolonged for longer than the note's value, typically twice its printed length or more for dramatic effect. feroce: ferociously feurig (Ger): fiery festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory fieramente: proudly fil di voce: "thread of voice", very quiet, pianissimo fill (English): a jazz or rock term which instructs performers to improvise a scalar passage or riff to "fill in" the brief time between lyrical phrases, the lines of melody, or between two sections fine: the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end) flat: a symbol (♭) that lowers the pitch of a note by a semitone. The term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitone too low. flautando (may also appear as flautendo): flutelike; used especially for string instruments to indicate a light, rapid bowing over the fingerboard flebile: mournfully focoso or fuocoso: fiery; i.e., passionately forte or f (usually): strong; i.e., to be played or sung loudly forte piano or fp (usually): strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then immediately soft (see dynamics), or 2. an early pianoforte