|
For a general, non-language specific list of terms, see Musical terminology Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ...
A great many musical terms are in Italian. It shouldn't be surprising that so many musical terms are Italian, since many of the most important early composers in the renaissance period were Italian, and that period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time. (See also sheet music.) Music is a form of expression in the medium of time using the structures of tones and silence. ...
A composer is a person who writes music. ...
Renaissance music is European classical music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 to 1600. ...
Sheet music is written representation of music. ...
Here are some of these expressions:
| Italian term | Literal translation | Definition |
Musical forms
| A cappella* | in chapel style | Sung with no instrumental accompaniment | | Aria | air | A song, esp. one from an opera | | Arietta | little air | A short or light aria | | Ballabile | danceable | (song) to be danced to | | Battaglia | battle | A piece suggesting a battle | | Bergamasca | from Bergamo | A peasant dance from Bergamo | | Burletta | a little joke | A light comic or farcical opera | | Cadenza | falling | A florid solo at the end of a performance | | Capriccio | caprice | A lively piece of music | | Coda | tail | The end of a piece | | Concerto | concert | A work for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an orchestra | | Concertino | little concert | A short concerto; the solo instrument in a concerto | | Concerto grosso | big concert | A Baroque form of concerto, with a group of solo instruments | | Libretto | little book | A work containing the words to an opera or musical | | Opera | work | A drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists | | Opera buffa | humorous opera | A comic opera | | Opera seria | serious opera | An opera with a serious, esp. classical theme | | Sonata | sounded | A composition for one or two instruments in sonata form | | Intermezzo | interval | A short connecting instrumental movement | A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ...
This article is about the musical term aria. ...
Arietta - Female Greek Name. ...
Battaglia Terme is a town in the Veneto region of Italy, in the province of Padua. ...
Bergamo is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about 40km northeast of Milan. ...
A cadenza is usually now taken to mean a portion of a concerto in which the orchestra stops playing, leaving the soloist to play alone in free time (without a strict, regular pulse) and can be written or improvised, depending on what the composer specifies. ...
A capriccio or caprice is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. ...
Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ...
In classical music, the word concerto (pl. ...
A concertino is the smaller group of instruments in a concerto grosso. ...
The concerto grosso (plural concerti grossi) (Italian for big concert) was a popular form of baroque music using an ensemble and usually having four to six movements in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and full orchestra (the ripieno). ...
A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ...
Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognisable opera houses and landmarks. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Comic opera. ...
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and serious style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1720s to ca 1770. ...
Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ...
Sonata form is a musical form that has been widely used since the early classical period. ...
InterMezzo is a distributed file system written for Linux, distributed with a GPL licence. ...
| Piano(forte) | soft-loud | A keyboard instrument | | Viola | viola, orig. Latin vitulari "be joyful" | A medium-sized stringed instrument | | (Violon)cello | Small violone (violone means "big viola") | A large stringed instrument | | Viola da gamba | leg viola | A stringed instrument held between the legs | | Viola da braccio | arm viola | A stringed instrument held in the arm, such as a violin or viola | | Viola d'amore | love viola | A tenor viol with no frets | | Tuba | tube | A large brass instrument | | Piccolo | little | A tiny woodwind instrument | | Timpani | drums | A large drum | | Cornetto | little horn | An old woodwind instrument | | Campana | bell | A bell used in an orchestra; also campane "bells" | | Orchestra | orchestra, orig. Greek orkesthai "dance" | An ensemble of instruments | A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ...
A baby grand piano, with the lid up. ...
A viola The viola (in French, alto; in German bratsche) is a stringed musical instrument played with a bow which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the higher violin (soprano register) and the lower lines played by the deeper cello (bass...
A cello The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ...
Various Viola da gamba The viol or viola da gamba family of musical instruments is related to the vihuela, rebec, etc. ...
The Violin family of instruments was developed in Italy in the 17th Century. ...
Viola dAmore from the mid eighteenth century (Library of Congress collection) The viola damore (Italian: love viol) is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. ...
The tuba is the largest of the low-brass instruments and is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the ophicleide. ...
A Yamaha piccolo. ...
A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ...
Cornetto may refer to A musical instrument; see Cornett A branded frozen ice-cream cone see Cornetto (ice-cream) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
A bell is a simple sound-making device. ...
The Boston Pops orchestra performing on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Massachusetts. ...
Voices | Soprano | upper | The highest vocal line | | Mezzo-soprano | middle soprano | Between soprano and alto | | Alto | high | Second-highest vocal line | | Contralto | against high | Alto, esp. a female alto | | Basso | low | Or "bass;" the lowest vocal line | | Basso profondo | deep and low | A very deep bass voice | | Castrato | castrated | A male singer, castrated so as to be able to sing soprano (now sung by women, conventional countertenors, or sopranisti) | | Falsetto | false (dim.) | High male voice, affecting a female voice | Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that...
In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ...
In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a soprano. ...
A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ...
A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ...
A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. ...
A countertenor is an adult male who sings in an alto or soprano range, often through use of falsetto. ...
A sopranista is a male singer who sings music written in the soprano vocal range. ...
Falsetto (IPA: Italian , GenAm , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range. ...
| Tempo | time | The speed of a piece of music | | Largo | broad | Slow and dignified | | Larghetto | a little bit broad | Not as slow as largo | | Lento | slow | Slow | | Adagio | ad agio, at ease | Slow, but not as slow as largo | | Adagietto | little adagio | Faster than adagio; or a short adagio composition | | Andante | walking | Moderately slow, flowing along | | Comodo | comfortable | At moderate speed | | Allegretto | a little bit joyful | Slightly slower than allegro | | Allegro | joyful | Moderately fast | | Presto | ready | Very fast | | Prestissimo | very ready | Very very fast | | Accelerando | accelerating | accelerating | | Affrettando | becoming hurried | accelerating | | Rallentando | becoming progressively slower | decelerating | | Accompagnato | accompanied | The accompaniment must follow the singer who can speed up or slow down at will | In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
This article is about tempo in music. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
This article is about tempo in music. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
This article is about tempo in music. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
In musical notation, prestissimo means the music is to be played at a very fast tempo. ...
This article is about tempo in music. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
This article is about tempo in music. ...
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...
Dynamics - volume In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ...
In musical notation, crescendo means that the notes are gradually getting louder. ...
In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ...
In musical notation, diminuendo indicates that the notes are gradually getting softer (quieter). ...
Look up forte in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ...
A baby grand piano, with the lid up. ...
In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ...
Moods | Affettuoso | with feeling | Tenderly | | Con brio (Con Spirito) | with spirit | With spirit | | Cantabile | singable | In a fashion suggesting singing | | Vivace | lively | up-tempo | | Maestoso | Majestic | Stately | | Dolce | sweetly | Sweet | | Agitato | agitated | Excited and fast | | Animato | animated | Animated | | Bruscamente | brusquely | Brusquely | | Con amore | with love | with love | | Con fuoco | with fire | with fiery manner | | Scherzando | playfully | Playfully | Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ...
Con Brio is an Italian musical term meaning With Brilliance. ...
Vivace is Italian for lively. Vivace is used as an Italian musical term indicating a movement that is in a lively mood (and so usually in a fast tempo). ...
Maestoso (Mie-eh-stoe-zoe) is Italian for majestic. ...
Dolce ( sweet in Italian) may refer to: Dolce, a musical term indicates that the performer should sing or play sweetly. ...
Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ...
in musical terminology animato means lively a magazine devoted to animation. ...
Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ...
Musical expression (general) | Molto | very | Used with other terms, as "molto allegro" | | Assai | very | Used with other terms, as "allegro assai" | | Poco | little | "a little". Used with other terms, as "poco diminuendo" | | ma non troppo | but not too much | But not too much (allegro ma non troppo) | Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ...
Poco is an American country rock band formed by Richie Furay (vocals and rhythm guitar) and Jim Messina (lead guitar and vocals) following the demise of Buffalo Springfield in 1968. ...
Directions | Attacca | attack | Proceed to the next section without pause | | Cambiare | change | Any change, such as to a new instrument |
Techniques | Coloratura | coloration | Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line | | Altissimo | very high | Very high | | Arpeggio | harp-like | A chord with the notes spread out in time | | Acciaccatura | crushing | An extra, very fast grace note | | Appoggiatura | leaning | A type of ornament | | Bocca chiusa | mouth closed | Wordless humming in a choral piece | | Chiuso | closed | Calls for a horn to be muted by hand | | Col legno | with the wood | Calls for a bowed instrument to be struck with the wood rather than the hair of the bow | | Pizzicato | plucked | Calls for a bowed instrument to be plucked with the fingers | | Col arco | with the bow | Cancels "col legno" and "pizzicato" (in a string passage, arco is usually expected and is not written.) | | Basso continuo | continuous bass | Continuous bass accompaniment (see figured bass.) | | Coperti | covered | Of a drum, muted with a cloth | | Una corda | one string | With the soft pedal, on a piano | | Due corde | two strings | With the soft pedal, on a piano. For why both terms exist, see piano. | | Tre corde or tutte le corde | Three strings or all the strings | Cancels an una corda | | Scordatura | mistuning | Alternate tuning (of strings) | Coloratura is an ornate, flowery style in classical singing. ...
Altissimo is a technique utilized on woodwind instruments such as the saxophone and clarinet wherein the musician blows overtones that are generally above the normal range of the instrument. ...
Various arpeggi as seen on a staff In music, an arpeggio (plural, arpeggi) is a spread chord played top-to-bottom or vice versa in sheet music, or rather the sounding of the tones of a chord in rapid succession rather than simultaneously. ...
In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to the overall melodic (or harmonic) line, but serve to decorate or ornament that line. ...
In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to the overall melodic (or harmonic) line, but serve to decorate or ornament that line. ...
Col legno (Italian for with the wood) is a method of playing bowed string instruments (particularly the violin, viola, cello, and double bass) whereby the strings are struck with the wood of the bow rather having the hair pulled across them. ...
Pizzicato is a method of playing a bowed string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow. ...
Arco can refer to: Arco is a directive in music for string instruments to indicate that the hair of the bow should be used to play in the normal way (following a passage played pizzicato, for example). ...
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ...
The soft pedal (or una corda pedal) is one of the standard pedals on a piano, generally placed to the left of the pedals. ...
The soft pedal (or una corda pedal) is one of the standard pedals on a piano, generally placed to the left of the pedals. ...
A baby grand piano, with the lid up. ...
The soft pedal (or una corda pedal) is one of the standard pedals on a piano, generally placed to the left of the pedals. ...
The soft pedal (or una corda pedal) is one of the standard pedals on a piano, generally placed to the left of the pedals. ...
A scordatura (literally Italian for mistuning) is an alternate tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument. ...
Roles Look up Prima donna on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Originally used in opera companies, prima donna is Italian for first lady. ...
A Comprimario is a secondary role in an opera or singing. ...
Criticism | Bel canto | beautiful voice | Any fine singing, esp. that popular in 18th and 19th c. Italian opera | | Bravura | skill | A performance of extraordinary virtuosity | | Bravo! | skillful | a cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer. Fem. brava, pl. bravi, fem.pl. brave | The term Bel Canto may refer to: Belcanto, a vocal technique; or Bel Canto, a novel by Ann Patchett. ...
Look up bravo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
See also Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ...
External links |
Feeds |
Contact