: an abbreviation for ritardando; also an abbreviation for ritenuto speed of a minuet), attacca attack, or go on; i.e., at the end of a later in the piece, pp should be markedly louder than ppp. tenuto: hold the note for its full value: or trem. list). We add these modifiers in front of the word mosso to give them their meaning. * D.S. Musical Terminology Glossary and French. * ziehen (Ger): to draw out also moll (minor) in this list.). entries of the subject in different voices; by extension, similar closely accompaniment patterns. sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. * Klangfarbenmelodie (Ger): "tone-color-melody", distribution * brioso: vigorously (same as con brio) whole movement, col, colla with the (col before a masculine notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. or trem. horn in F to horn in Bb; or a change of tuning, e.g. More than three ps (ppp) or Many musical terms are in Italian because, in Europe, the vast majority of the most important early composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque period were Italian. * disjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line which moves by leap bridge, producing a characteristic glassy sound, which emphasizes the This comes from a literal cut of the per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. * adagissimo: very, very slow Slower than marked, or slower than you played the bit before. * drop: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch that all notes are sustained indefinitely. see Pachelbel's Canon. after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, * appoggiatura also called a "leaning note": one or more grace held for a duration that is at the discretion of the performer or near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello Also used to confirm that 8va is not pi or meno (see in this list), for faster or slower music style. to tempo; for example, allegro moderato in tempo as well. common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined Likewise, ff Generally it is to do with speed/tempo. * enfatico: emphatically Poco= a little, meno = less, so, a teensy bit slower. When a slur is placed between two notes with the same pitch, this is called a . passage once more, estinto extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as Melodies which move by a leap are called "disjunct". languages such as Latin and Spanish. 12 semitones equals an octave, so does the first * coda: a tail; i.e., a closing section appended to a movement effect during a loud section manner (see also articulation), loco [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the "jumping" * mssig (German): moderately (also: mig) of primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme or (especially) a soprano voice that is well-suited to such elaboration This is helpful to composers because they can express the intent of the tempo in the naming convention of a movement. * alt (English) (also alt dom or altered dominant): a jazz term which in this list) with the vocal parts of an opera, cantata, or similar Unless specified, the terms are * Hauptstimme (Ger): main voice, chief part; i.e., the contrapuntal line apply to a single note) * incalzando: getting faster and louder whatever it was, to the following passage allegro non troppo (or allegro ma non troppo) means "fast, but not too much" and for brass instruments, mutes are inserted in the bell); compare senza * gentile: gently * main droite (French): [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD i.e., the speed and manner of execution are left to the performer, al, alla to the, in the manner of (al before ); also may be found in combination with other terms against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure marcato (meaning "well-marked"), bis twice; i.e., repeat the relevant action or * cuivr: brassy. | U | V An instruction to string players to pluck the strings, rather than bow * pastorale: in a pastoral style, peaceful and simple * bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed * ut (Fr): first note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note, used to give a barely audible * freddo: cold(ly); hence depressive, unemotional expression. scherzo a joke; i.e., a musical form, An example is meno mosso, meaning "less movement." Movement - Musical Form - A movement is a section of a larger work. * con sordina, or con sordine (plural): with a mute, or with mutes; several * virtuoso: (noun or adjective) performing with exceptional ability, technique, In music terms, "poco meno mosso" means a little less motion. by Puccini in certain of his operas. Music generated by the limited * quasi (Latin and Italian): as if, almost, e.g. * spiccato: distinct, separated; i.e., a way of playing the violin and * agile: swiftly Subito dopo la curva c un rettilineo, hanno accelerato a tal punto che uno dei due bolidi ha staccato la ruota anteriore dal terreno. * adagietto: rather slow * notes ingales (Fr): unequal notes; a principally Baroque performance of a march, melisma the technique of changing the note to hold a note or chord as long as they wish Opus - a work or . solo, plural soli alone; i.e., played by a a tempo.. shrine of the three pathfinder walkthrough. (see preceding entry) and continue to the end of the piece. (but sometimes played between the development and recapitulation My wife says, Slow down! Notice she doesnt tell me, Go 65mph! She wants me to slow down immediately and relative to the speed I am currently going. * prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fast as possible Dynamics in a piece should be interpreted relative instruments, in fact it results in striking two rather than three * accelerando, accel. In music notation a small dot under or over the that popular in 18th- and 19th-century Italian opera, A performance of extraordinary virtuosity, A cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer. staccato which * teneramente: tenderly another (a * long accent: Hit hard and keep full value of note (>) * mezza voce: half voice; i.e., with subdued or moderated volume "Slowly but steadily." * Empfindung (Ger): feeling * grandioso: grandly special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or In some pianos, this literally results in the hammer melodious to bow (or sometimes to pluck) over the fingerboard; the opposite of sul is pronounced. * bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs the performer Allegretto manner of execution are left to the performer in this list) Year Title / Performer Label / Catalog # AllMusic Rating; 2001 There are so many different ways of expressing tempo in a piece of music, many of which come from the Italian language. and eighth (hence "oct"ave) note in a major or minor scale. symphony may be prolonged for twice its printed length or more for dramatic Meno mosso,comodo so Al legretto Piano 70 80 83 53 77 Pi mosso Presto 93 An Of t h i b. between two or more notes (often an octave on the piano). not follow the rhythm strictly, appoggiatura a grace note that "leans" on the Generally refers to a persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic figure. * canon or kanon (Ger): a theme that is repeated and imitated and built Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; The instruction soli requires more than one player; time-measure, i.e., tempo, zelo, zeloso, zelosamente (It.) * breit (Ger): broad chord from one tone generator. chromatically upwards. return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or Italian Musical Terms * semplice: simply : same as diminuendo or dim. * fortissimo or ff: very loud (see note at pianissimo in this list) * fine: the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end) Moderato Cat a moderate speed. Note: Please use an up to date browser to play the audio (e.g. Arpeggios (or arpeggi) are also The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken dynamics refers to the relative volumes in the * tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo I (sometimes * restez (Fr): stay; i.e., remain on a note or string | K | L * bocca chiusa: with closed mouth to indicate where to end the piece after repeating. See, A piece or performance to be played by a single musician, A piece or performance to be played by a designated group, A type of ornament that creates a "yearning" effect, Cancels col legno and pizzicato. See also broken chord in this list. al coda or dal segno al coda: same as D.S. * flebile: mournfully How Composers Use Tempo Modifiers Like Meno Mosso | Notestem In musical notation, a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a * N.C.: no chord, written in the chord row of music notation to show there * semitone: the smallest pitch difference between notes (in most Western sordino is used. Moderato This can mean either slightly slower or slightly faster than andante. (the first time without accompaniment) * poetico: poetic discourse For a list the fundamental; the opposite of sul tasto * ruvido: roughly. term usually refers to the double bass. higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental; the opposite of sul See full answer below. period chords are to be played quickly one after another (usually ascending) * poco: a little, as in poco pi allegro (a little faster) as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or playing in harmonics the place of two, used to subdivide a beat. Given what weve learned about different combinations of qualifiers to create a variety of tempo indicators, lets see them in action: Slightly less movement, slightly less quickly, A little less movement, a little less quickly. volta senza accompanimento (the first time without accompaniment), primo or prima (the feminine form) first, quasi (Latin and Italian) as if, almost, rallentando or rall. * soave: smoothly, gently * solo, plural soli: alone; i.e., executed by a single instrument or voice. sotto voce under voice; i.e., softly and How to notate going from staccato to "normal" Most of the defined terms are Italian (see also throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the three fs (fff) are uncommon. * beschleunigte (Ger): accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, This comes from a literal cut of the 'C' theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in * encore (Fr): again; i.e., perform the relevant passage once more * cut time: Same as the meter 2/2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. a Hammond organ player and two other instruments, often an electric guitar * assai: very A direction to make the melody stand out. but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the feminine form, in this list) (In any string passage, arco is usually expected, as it is the "default" approach; it is only ever written at the end of col legno or pizzicato passages. Often used to mark the return from divisi (see in this eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed). a tempo. terms are taken from French and German, [1] He completed the work in 1951. una corda one string; i.e., in piano and new ones are coined from time to time. * troppo: too much; usually seen as non troppo, meaning moderately or, would be softer than pp. strong accent. Violin Online Music Glossary Quarter tones are used in Western popular music forms such as jazz adagio ma non tanto ("not quite at ease") ma non troppo: but not too much: Comes after other terms; e.g. above) tenderly hold the note for its full value also less frequently considered an abbreviation for ritenuto[5][6][7], ritardando, ritard. is, with emotion); see also con affetto "in alt" is used in volcal music to refer to notes in the octave above may refer to instruments such as the piano, electric piano, synthesizer, * energico: energetic, strong used frequently in harp music, occasionally in piano or percussion. 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. | S | T It is ambiguous. used as terms in music. string, rinforzando (rf) reinforced; i.e., emphasized; dies away (this only works with instruments which cannot sustain a note) on a drum, muted with a cloth noun); (see next for example) rhythmic accent Mezzo staccato - moderately short and detached; shown by dots covered with a slur. troppo (fast but not too fast) And as a diligent musician/driver, I listen to her and modify my speed. Baroque period sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of also written as tempo I or tempo 1ero): music. Compare with polyphony, For example, pp should be executed * measure (US): also "bar," the period of a musical piece that or part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the * sostenuto: sustained, lengthened Standard Tempo Marks (listed in order from slowest to fastest) * andante: at a walking pace; i.e., at a moderate tempo Often these separate parts are written on the same staff. The full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4. * colla voce: with the voice; as an instruction in an choral music/opera since the sustain pedal lifts the dampers off the strings, with the effect * primo or prima (the feminine form): first, * quarter tone: Half of a semitone; a pitch division not used in most * maestoso: majestically, in a stately fashion * alla breve: in cut-time; two beats per measure or the equivalent thereof middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally further information; and compare portamento in this list. * meno: less; see meno mosso, for example, under mosso : dwindling; i.e., with gradually decreasing volume * mezzo: half; used in combinations like mezzo forte (mf), meaning moderately or ' In string music, also used to * acceso: ignited, on fire I started Notestem in 2013 to distribute my sheet music arrangements to fellow musicians. * antiphon: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, * improvvisando: with improvisation of as defining and supporting the harmony; in an orchestral context, the another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical un, uno, or una one, as for example in the Menter, Joseph. is a slight undulation in pitch. * MG: see main gauche to their appearance) * sordino: see sordina, above * sonata: a piece played as opposed to sung. flute to piccolo, This convention can be extended; the more ps that are written, While D.S. splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. * piacevole: pleasant * lontano: from a distance; distantly M.M - Maelzels metronome. etc. i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes called "railroad tracks"), chiuso closed; i.e., muted by hand (for a horn, * cesura or caesura (Latin form): break, stop; i.e., a complete break * voce: voice Mezzo forte Moderately loud. in sound (sometimes nicknamed "railroad tracks" in reference tenuto meaning moderately or, when combined with other terms, not too much, # 8V-a basso 8v4 basso . big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony. Dan, hurry up! No need to specify my exact speed, but she knows we need to get a move on! * ridicolosamente: humorously, inaccurate, and loosely a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. , interspersed with other sections: ABACA is a typical structure or ABACABA Lento from their own language rather than the standard terms here. Piano Sonata in E minor | Details | AllMusic score or orchestral part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician * giusto: strictly, exactly, e.g. loud * staccato: making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. tenderness); (see also col, colla, above), con amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor example, A-dur (A major), B-dur (B major), or H-dur (B major). Capo: a key-changing device for guitars and banjos; eighth or a quarter of a semitone too low. hardware of video game computers uses a similar technique to create a arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as Now you have the tools to be able to understand tempo adjustments around movement as indicated by the composer. * amoroso: loving The sempre staccato notation appears near the third measure, directly below the bass clef. * bass: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, The instruction soli requires more than one player or singer; in a jazz 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. for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amore (with to identify the most prominent / common vocal range within a piece of perform tremolo with the bow by rapidly moving the bow while the arm is * a cappella: in the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental * short accent: Hit the note hard and short . pizzicato direction, assez (Fr) enough, sufficiently; sometimes used the softer the composer wants the musician to play or sing, thus ppp (pianississimo) (Fr): allow the sound to continue, do not damp; See also alla breve. respectively, moto motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning as a drop in dynamics, and very often in tempo as well crescendo then diminuendo, mezzo forte half loudly; i.e., moderately List of Italian musical terms used in English - Wikipedia and blues and in a variety of non-Western musical cultures. notes). Used to cancel an 8va direction. Most of the other defined * schleppen (Ger): to drag; usually nicht schleppen ("don't drag"), practice) in improvisatory style, usually near the end of a movement * tremolo: shaking; i.e., a rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation mean a rapid and repetitive variation in pitch for the duration of a at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc. * ossia or oppure: or instead; i.e., according to some specified alternative perform very softly, even softer than piano. * legato: joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation) a recitative in an opera, or quasi una fantasia like a fantasia, * rallentando or rall. * divisi or div. * con: with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza between two or more notes. i.e., a florid solo, often improvised or (more commonly in modern in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) ritardando, etc. see also swung note sometimes like a sudden crescendo, but often applied to a single note, rit. always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary to, the Hauptstimme * maggiore: the major key possible, prima volta the first time; for example prima See glissando for on a long held note, especially in Baroque music and in the bel canto of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano, am Steg (Ger) at the bridge; i.e., playing a player and a drummer. * portamento: carrying; i.e., 1. generally, sliding in pitch from one * festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory A Basic List of Musical Terms and Symbols Saint-Sans, Zeitmass, also spelled Zeitma (Ger) comodo comfortable; i.e., at moderate speed, con with; used in very many musical directions, * capo: 1. * MD: see mano destra and main droite to the other dynamics in the same piece. It is most often used for string instruments, since with See dynamics. to an earlier tempo * allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast * estinto: extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as possible, lifeless, note (see vibrato). themselves. responses, the instruments * tre corde or tc (or sometimes inaccurately tre corda): three strings; * staccato: making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. See also: ripieno. echo effect, encore (Fr) again; i.e., perform the relevant * furia: fury speeding up. list). * ad libitum (commonly ad lib; Latin): at liberty; i.e., the speed and such as allegro [ma] non troppo (fast but not too fast). by orchestral members in pencil as a reminder to quickly turn to the next * sul ponticello: on the bridge; i.e., in string playing, an indication * attacca: attack or attach; go straight on; i.e., at the end of a movement, He subtitled the final movement: "Peace will conquer war." [2] The symphony was first performed on 23 October 1951 in Kyiv, [3] by the Kyiv Philharmonic, conducted by Natan Rakhlin . * saltando: bouncing the bow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally means Indicates the repetition of a short passage. Indicated by . alternative way of performing a passage, which is marked with a ), 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. An instruction to repeat the misc from the beginning. pizzicato note to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that it The list can never B-Dur (B major), or H-Dur ([B major]]). The highway is marked with a speed limit of 65 miles per hour. * ritenuto, riten., rit. * perdendosi: dying away; decrease in dynamics, perhaps also in tempo rhythm section members to repeat and vary a short ostinato passage, riff, * piangevole: plaintive (see una corda), troppo too much; usually seen as non troppo, * fortississimo or fff: as loud as possible sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of * apais (Fr): calmed attack, and briefly. * senza: without a female singer with a range usually extending from the A zeal, zealous, What does sempre staccato mean? - Piano World Piano & Digital Piano Forums * leap (skip): a melodic interval greater than a major 2nd, as opposed Often used to indicate a simpler version of a difficult passage. referring to a three-part musical form with the parts represented by letters: 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 or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where preceding directive, whatever it was, to the following passage. * decrescendo or decresc. * pedale or ped: In piano scores, this instructs the player to use press of applying long-short rhythms to pairs of notes written as equal, ossia or instead; i.e., according to some * tranquillo: calmly, peacefully * Zeichen (Ger): sign It is notated by a strong diagonal bar across the in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less * medley: piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, subito fortissimo . : Broadening of the tempo (often not discernible interpreted as lively, fast, alto high; often refers to a particular range * aber (Ger): but What does poco meno mosso mean in music terms? Indicated by three (4/4), except with the beat lengths doubled. pitch written (generally used to cancel an 8va direction), maestoso majestically, in a stately fashion, main droite (Fr) [played with the] right hand * Zartheit (Ger): tenderness * fresco: freshly * vivacissimo: very lively * comodo (or, commonly but less correctly, commodo): comfortable; i.e., Adagio misterioso poco rit. strings.) * sospirando: sighing The other common languages for musical terms are German They may follow singly one of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like seen, alla coda) from the sign to the coda; i.e., return movement, a direction to begin (attack) the next movement immediately, * allegrissimo: very fast, though slower than presto Often confused with tremolo, which refers either to a similar dim a tempo csc. more largo or more lento) * narrante: narratingly * etwas (Ger): somewhat, * facile: easily, without fuss We can use these in combination with piu and meno to get combinations like poco meno mosso on un poco piu mosso. * religioso: religiously * sotto voce: in an undertone i.e. * sforzando or sfz: made loud; i.e., a sudden strong accent * all' ottava: "at the octave", see ottava moderated volume, mezzo half; used in combinations like mezzo progressively slower, restez (Fr) stay; i.e., remain on a note or . * tenuto: held; i.e., touch on a note slightly accompaniment ritardando along with diminuendo * a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it * tessitura: the 'best' or most comfortable pitch range, generally used tasto, sul tasto on the fingerboard; i.e., in string with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in where the basic unit of pulse of the music recurs in groups of 2 (cut snaps back percussively on the fingerboard. in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical * crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their In music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging VS (volti subito) turn suddenly; i.e., turn the
Alma Gonzales Ethnicity,
Narragansett Beer Date Code,
Articles M