This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores. 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 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. A great many musical terms are in Italian. ...

A

• a, à (Fr) – at, to, by, for, in, in the style of
• aber (Ger) – but
• a cappella – in the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental accompaniment
• accelerando – accelerating; gradually increasing the tempo
• accentato – accented; with emphasis
• 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
• adagietto – rather slow
• adagio – at ease; i.e., slow
• adagissimo – 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 divisi or a solo passage for one of the instruments
• 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 – two minim (half-note) beats to a bar, rather than four crotchet (quarter-note) beats
• alla marcia – in the style of a march
• allargando – broadening, becoming a little slower
• allegretto – a little lively, moderately fast
• allegro – cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast
• als (Ger) – than
• altissimo – very high
• alto – high; often refers to a particular range of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano
• am Steg (Ger) – at the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument near its bridge (see sul ponticello in this list)
• amabile – amiable, pleasant
• amoroso – loving
• andante – at a walking pace; i.e., at a moderate tempo, just this side of slow
• andantino – slightly faster than andante (but earlier it sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante)
• 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
• apaisé (Fr) – calmed
• a piacere – at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly
• appassionato – passionately
• appoggiatura – a grace note that "leans" on the following note, taking up some of its value in the measure
• a prima vista – at first sight; i.e., playing something at first sight of the sheet music
• 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
• arietta – a short aria
• arioso – airy, or like an air (a melody); i.e., in the manner of an aria; melodious
• 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. Music generated by the limited hardware of video game computers uses a similar technique to create a chord from one tone generator. Arpeggios (or arpeggi) are also accompaniment patterns. See also broken chord in this list.
• assai – very
• assez (Fr) – enough, sufficiently; sometimes used in the same sense as assai
• 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 go on; i.e., at the end of a movement, a direction to begin (attack) the next movement immediately, without a gap or pause
• Ausdruck (Ger) – expression
• ausdrucksvoll (Ger) – expressively
• avec (Fr) – with or with another

A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and the metronome marking as = 120. (Metronome markings were not used in Mozarts day. ... 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. ... A grace note is a common term for a phenomenon of music notation used to denote several kinds of musical ornaments. ... The doctrine of the affections (also known as the doctrine of affections, affect, and Affektenlehre) was a musical theory popular in the Baroque era (1600-1750). ... This article is about the musical term. ... Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. ... 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. ... A grace note is a common term for a phenomenon of music notation used to denote several kinds of musical ornaments. ... An ARCO gas station in Los Angeles ARCO (an acronym for Atlantic Richfield Company) is an American oil company that was formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic Refining and California-based Richfield Petroleum in 1966. ... Pizzicato is a method of playing a bowed string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow. ... An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. ... Below is a list of terms used in musical terminology which are likely to occur on printed or sheet music. ... 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. ... The harp is a stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... Typical fingering for a second inversion C major chord on a guitar. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... In music accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner as well as the music thus played. ... This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores. ... In music, a movement is a large division of a larger composition or musical form. ...

B

• B (Ger) – B flat in German; B natural is called H
• barbaro – barbarous
• basso continuo – continuous bass; i.e., a bass part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the Baroque period
• beat – (1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic accent
• bellicoso – warlike, aggressive
• ben or bene – well, as in, for example, ben marcato (meaning "well-marked")
• bewegt (Ger) – moved, speeded
• 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
• brillante – brilliantly, with sparkle
• brio – vigour; usually in con brio
• 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

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. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. ... Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. ... Bisbigliando (whispering in Italian) is a special tremolo effect on the harp where a chord or note is rapidly repeated at a low volume. ... Typical fingering for a second inversion C major chord on a guitar. ... Alberti bass is a particular kind of accompaniment in music, often used in the classical music era. ...

C

• cadenza – a cadence; i.e., a florid solo, often improvised or (more commonly in modern practice) in improvisatory style, usually near the end of a movement (but sometimes played between the development and recapitulation sections), embellishing and elaborating on a perfect cadence, sometimes at considerable length
• calando – falling away, or lowering; i.e., getting slower and quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo
• calore – warmth; so con calore, warmly
• cambiare – to change; i.e., any change, such as to a new instrument
• cantabile or cantando – in a singing style
• capo – head; i.e., the beginning (of a movement, normally)
• capriccioso – capriciously, unpredictable, volatile
• cédez (Fr) – yield, give way
• cesura or caesura (Latin form) – break, stop; i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes called "railroad tracks")
• 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 (see previous entry), 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
• colla voce – with the voice
• col legno – with the wood; i.e., the strings (for example, of a violin) are to be struck with the wood of the bow; also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood
• coloratura – coloration; i.e., elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, or (especially) a soprano voice 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 'C'. 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 amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor – with love, tenderly
• con affetto – with affect (that is, with emotion)
• con brio – with spirit, with vigour
• con dolore – with sadness
• con (gran, molto) espressione – with (great, much) expression
• con fuoco – with fire, in a fiery manner
• con larghezza – with broadness; broadly
• con moto – with motion
• con slancio – with enthusiasm
• con sordino / con sordini – with a mute / with mutes
• 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)
• cut time – same as the meter 2/2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. Notated and played like common time (4/4), except with the beat lengths doubled. Indicated by three quarters of a circle with a vertical line through it, which resembles the cent symbol '¢'. This comes from a literal cut of the 'C' 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.

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. ... In Western musical theory a cadence (Latin cadentia, a falling) is a particular series of intervals or chords that ends a phrase, section, or piece of music. ... In Western musical theory a cadence (Latin cadentia, a falling) is a particular series of intervals (a caesura) or chords that ends a phrase, section, or piece of music. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Musical terminology. ... 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. ... Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda, see below), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ... 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. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... Coloratura is an old word meaning colouring. ... The musical term colossale indicates that the performer is to play the so marked passage in a fashion that suggests immensity. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, eighth note and so on) constitutes one beat. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In music, a quarter note (American) or crotchet (Commonwealth) is played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note. ... In musical notation, the staff or stave is a set of five horizontal lines on which note symbols are placed to indicate pitch and time. ... The doctrine of the affections (also known as the doctrine of affections, affect, and Affektenlehre) was a musical theory popular in the Baroque era (1600-1750). ... A mute is a device which alters the timbre and/or reduces the volume of a musical instrument. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, eighth note and so on) constitutes one beat. ... Particularly, this article is not about Hymn meters, as often found on hymn tunes Meter (UK spelling: metre) is the measurement of a musical line into measures of stressed and unstressed beats, indicated in Western music notation by a symbol called a time signature. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, eighth note and so on) constitutes one beat. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, eighth note and so on) constitutes one beat. ... In music, a quarter note (American) or crotchet (Commonwealth) is played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note. ... Alla breve is an italian musical term to describe a time signature of 2/2 (small alla breve) or even 4/2 and 2/1 (large alla breve). ...

D

• da capo – from the head; i.e., from the beginning (see capo in this list)
• D.S. al coda or dal segno al coda (or, strictly but rarely seen, ...alla coda) – from the sign to the coda; i.e., return to a place in the music designated by the sign and continue until directed to move to the coda, a separate ending section. (See Coda in this list.)
• 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 (see preceding entry) 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
• decrescendo or decresc. – same as diminuendo or dim. (see below)
• delicatamente or delicato – delicately
• devoto – religiously
• diminuendo, dim. – dwindling; i.e., with gradually decreasing volume (same as decrescendo)
• 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.)
• dolce – sweetly
• dolcissimo – very sweetly
• dolente – sorrowfully, plaintively
• doloroso – sorrowfully, plaintively
• double stop – the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic percussion instrument or stringed instrument
• D.S. – Dal Segno (see above)
• 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.)
• dynamics – refers to the relative volumes in the execution of a piece of music

Segno In music notation, Dal Segno (pronounced [ˈdalˌ ˈseˌɲo] or [ˈdalˌ ˈseˌnjo] but commonly mispronounced as [ˈdælˌ ˈsɛgˌno]) (often abbreviated D.S.) is used as a navigation marker. ... Image File history File links Dal_segno. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... A double stop, in music terminology, is the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a stringed instrument, for example a violin, a viola, a cello or a guitar. ... Segno In music notation, Dal Segno (pronounced [ˈdalˌ ˈseˌɲo] or [ˈdalˌ ˈseˌnjo] but commonly mispronounced as [ˈdælˌ ˈsɛgˌno]) (often abbreviated D.S.) is used as a navigation marker. ... This key signature – A major or F# minor – consists of three sharps placed after the clef In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp symbols or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ...

E

• 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
• espirando – expiring; i.e., dying away
• espressivo or espr. – expressively
• estinto – extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as possible, lifeless
• etwas (Ger) – somewhat

F

• facile – easily, without fuss
• 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)
• feroce – ferociously
• feurig (Ger) – fiery
• fieramente – proudly
• fill (English) – a sound (or combination of sounds) which "fills" the brief time between lyrical phrases and lines of melody
• fine – the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end)
• flebile – mournfully
• focoso or fuocoso – fiery; i.e., passionately
• forte or f (usually) – strong; i.e., to be played or sung loudly
• fortepiano or fp (usually) – strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then immediately soft (see dynamics), or 2. an early pianoforte
• fortissimo – as loudly as possible (see note at pianissimo, in this list)
• forzando or fz – see sforzando in this list
• freddo – cold(ly), depressive or terror emphatizing
• fresco – freshly
• fuoco – fire; con fuoco means with fire
• furioso – furiously

In popular music, a fill is a sound (or combination of sounds) which fills the brief time between lyrical phrases and lines of melody. ... Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, as it existed from its invention by Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. ...

G

• gaudioso – with joy
• gentile – gently
• geschwind (Ger) – quickly
• getragen (Ger) – sustainedly
• giocoso or giojoso – gaily
• giusto – strictly, exactly, e.g. tempo giusto in strict time
• glissando (simulated Italian) – a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). See glissando for further information; and compare portamento in this list.
• grandioso – grandly
• grave – slowly and seriously
• grazioso – gracefully
• gustoso – with gusto

Glissando (plural: glissandi) is a musical term that refers to either a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). ... Glissando (plural: glissandi) is a musical term that refers to either a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). ...

H

• H (Ger) – B natural in German; B means B flat
• Hauptstimme (Ger) – "head" voice, chief part; i.e., the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme
• hemiola (English, from Greek) – the imposition of a pattern of rhythm or articulation other than that implied by the time signature; specifically, in triple time (for example in 3/4) the imposition of a duple pattern (as if the time signature were, for example, 2/4). See Syncopation.

In modern musical parlance, a hemiola is a metrical pattern in which two bars in triple time (3/2 or 3/4 for example) are articulated as if they were three bars in duple time (2/2 or 2/4). ... Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. ... In music an articulation is a sign, direction, or performance technique which indicates or affects the transition or continuity between notes or sounds. ... In music, syncopation is when a stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or failure to sound a tone on an accented beat occurs. ...

I

• immer (Ger) – always
• imperioso – imperiously
• impetuoso – impetuously
• improvisando – with improvisation
• improvisato – improvised, or as if improvised
• in altissimo – in the highest; i.e., play or sing an octave higher
• incalzando – getting faster and louder
• insistendo – insistently, deliberate
• in modo di – in the art of, in the style of
• intimo – intimately
• irato – angrily

K

• kräftig (Ger) – strongly

L

• lacrimoso – tearfully; i.e., sadly
• lamentando – lamenting, mournfully
• lamentoso – lamenting, mournfully
• langsam (Ger) – slowly
• larghetto – somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo
• largo – broadly; i.e., slowly
• lebhaft (Ger) – briskly, lively
• legato – joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation)
• leggiero – lightly, delicately
• lent (Fr) – slowly
• lento – slowly
• liberamente – freely
• libero – free, freely
• l'istesso – see lo stesso, below
• loco – [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the pitch written (generally used to cancel an 8va direction)
• lontano – from a distance; distantly
• lo stesso (or commonly, but ungrammatically, l'istesso) – the same; applied to the manner of articulation, tempo, etc.
• lugubre – lugubrious, mournful
• luminoso – luminously
• lusingando – coaxingly

In musical notation legato indicates that musical notes are played smoothly. ... Articulation may refer to several topics: In speech, linguistics, and communication: Topic-focus articulation Articulation score Place of articulation Manner of articulation In music: Musical articulations (staccato, legato, etc) In education: Articulation (education) In sociology: Articulation (sociology) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... For the numerical computation software, see GNU Octave. ...

M

• ma – but
• ma non troppo – but not too much
• maestoso – majestically, in a stately fashion
• magico – magically
• magnifico – magnificent
• main droite (Fr) – [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD or m.d.)
• main gauche (Fr) – [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MG or m.g.)
• malinconico – melancholy
• mano destra – [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD or m.d.)
• mano sinistra – [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MS or m.s.)
• marcatissimo – very accentuatedly
• marcato – marked; i.e., accentuatedly, play every note as if it were to be accented
• marcia – a march; alla marcia means in the manner of a march
• martellato – hammered out
• marziale – in the march style
• mässig (Ger) – moderately
• MD – see mano destra and main droite
• melancolico – melancholic
• melisma – the technique of changing the note (pitch) of a syllable of text while it is being sung
• measure – the period of a musical piece that encompasses a complete cycle of the time signature, e.g., in 4/4 time, a measure has four quarter-note beats
• meno – less; see meno mosso, for example, under mosso
• mesto – mournful, sad
• meter (or metre) – the pattern of a music piece's rhythm of strong and weak beats
• mezza voce – half voice; i.e., with subdued or moderated volume
• mezzo – half; used in combinations like mezzo forte (mf), meaning moderately loud
• mezzo forte – half loudly; i.e., moderately loudly. See dynamics.
• mezzo piano – half softly; i.e., moderately softly. See dynamics.
• mezzo-soprano – 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 vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that of a soprano and that of an alto.
• MG – see main gauche
• misterioso – mysteriously
• mobile – flexible, changeable
• moderato – moderate; often combined with other terms, usually relating to tempo; for example, allegro moderato
• modesto – modest
• moll (Ger) – minor; used in key signatures as, for example, a-moll (A minor), b-moll (B♭ minor), or h-moll (B minor) (see also dur (major) in this list)
• molto – very
• morendo – dying; i.e., dying away in dynamics, and perhaps also in tempo
• mosso – moved, moving; used with a preceding più or meno (see in this list), for faster or slower respectively
• MS – see mano sinistra
• moto – motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning with motion or quickly
• munter (Ger) – lively

In music, melisma (commonly known as vocal runs or simply runs) is the technique of changing the note (pitch) of a syllable of text while it is being sung. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... 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... Look up soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ... This key signature – A major or F# minor – consists of three sharps placed after the clef In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp symbols or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the...

N

• narrante – narratingly
• naturale or nat. – natural; i.e., discontinue a special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or playing in harmonics
• Nebenstimme (Ger) – under part; i.e., a secondary contrapuntal part, always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary to, the Hauptstimme
• nicht (Ger) – not
• nobile or nobilmente – in a noble fashion
• notes inégales (Fr) – unequal notes; i.e., a principally Baroque performance practice of applying long-short rhythms to pairs of notes written as equal

In music, notes inégales (French: unequal notes) refers to a performance practice, mainly from the Baroque and Classical music eras, in which notes with equal written time values are performed with unequal durations, usually as alternating long and short. ...

O

• omaggio – homage, celebration
• ossia – or instead; i.e., according to some specified alternative way of performing a passage, which is marked with a footnote, additional small notes, or an additional staff
• ostinato – obstinate, persistent; i.e., a short musical pattern that is repeated throughout an entire composition or portion of a composition
• ottava – octave, e.g. ottava bassa an octave lower

In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated at the same pitch. ...

P

• parlando or parlante – like speech, enunciated
• Partitur (Ger) – full orchestral score
• passionato – passionately
• pastorale – in a pastoral style, peaceful and simple
• pausa – rest
• pesante – heavy, ponderous
• peu à peu (Fr) – little by little

Note: it should be noted that any dynamics in a piece should always be played relative to the other dynamics found in the music. Thus, pp should be played as softly as possible, but if ppp is found later in the piece, pp should be markedly louder than ppp. Likewise, ff should be played as loud as possible, but if fff is found later in the piece, ff should be noticeably quieter. More than three ps (ppp) or three fs (fff) are uncommon.

• pianissimo or pp (usually) – very gently; i.e., perform very softly, even softer than piano. This convention can be extended; the more ps that are written, the softer the composer wants the musician to play, thus ppp (pianississimo) would be softer than pp.
• piano or p (usually) – gently; i.e., played or sung softly (see dynamics)
• piano-vocal score – the same as a vocal score, a piano arrangement along with the vocal parts of an opera, cantata, or similar
• piacevole – pleasant
• piangevole – plaintive
• più – more; see mosso for an example
• pizzicato – pinched, plucked; i.e., in music for bowed strings, plucked with the fingers as opposed to played with the bow; compare arco (in this list), which is inserted to cancel a pizzicato instruction
• pochettino or poch. – very little
• poco – a little, as in poco più allegro (a little faster)
• poco a poco – little by little
• poi – then, indicating a subsequent instruction in a sequence; diminuendo poi subito fortissimo, for example: getting softer then suddenly very loud
• portamento – carrying; i.e., 1. generally, sliding in pitch from one note to another (especially in singing; more often called glissando in instrumental music); or 2. in piano music, an articulation between legato and staccato, like portato, in this list
• portato – carried; i.e., non-legato, but not as detached as staccato (same as portamento [2], in this list)
• posato – settled
• potpourri or pot-pourri (Fr) – potpourri (as used in other senses in English); i.e., a kind of musical form structured as ABCDEF... etc.; the same as medley or, sometimes, fantasia
• precipitato – precipitately
• prestissimo – extremely quickly, as fast as possible
• presto – very quickly
• prima volta – the first time; for example prima volta senza accompagnamento (the first time without accompaniment)
• primo or prima (the feminine form) – first

In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... Vocal score or Piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano. ... Vocal score or Piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano. ... Pizzicato is a method of playing a bowed string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow. ... An ARCO gas station in Los Angeles ARCO (an acronym for Atlantic Richfield Company) is an American oil company that was formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic Refining and California-based Richfield Petroleum in 1966. ... Glissando (plural: glissandi) is a musical term that refers to either a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). ... Articulation may refer to several topics: In speech, linguistics, and communication: Topic-focus articulation Articulation score Place of articulation Manner of articulation In music: Musical articulations (staccato, legato, etc) In education: Articulation (education) In sociology: Articulation (sociology) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... In musical notation legato indicates that musical notes are played smoothly. ... In musical notation, staccato indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened; that is, a short silence should be between the notes, without affecting the rhythm. ... Potpourri or Pot-Pourri [pō-poo’rÄ“] (French, literally rotten pot) was originally a term applied to a jar with a mixture of dried flower petals and spices used to scent the air. ... The fantasia (also English fantasy, German fantasie, French fantaisie) is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. ...

Q

• quasi (Latin and Italian) – as if, almost, e.g. quasi recitativo like a recitative in an opera, or quasi una fantasia like a fantasia

Recitative, a form of composition often used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas (and occasionally in operettas and even musicals), is melodic speech set to music, or a descriptive narrative song in which the music follows the words. ... Look up Fantasia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Fantasia may refer to one of several things. ...

R

• rallentando or rall. – progressively slower
• rapido – fast
• rasch (Ger) – fast
• religioso – religiously
• repente – suddenly
• restez (Fr) – stay; i.e., remain on a note or string
• rinforzando (rf) – reinforced; i.e., emphasized; sometimes like a sudden crescendo, but often applied to a single note
• risoluto – resolutely
• rit. – an abbreviation for ritardando^[1][2][3][4]; also less frequently considered an abbreviation for ritenuto^[5][6][7]
• ritardando, ritard., rit. – slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando (see in this list)
• ritenuto, riten., rit. – held back; i.e., slower (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, apply to a single note)
• roulade (Fr) – a rolling; i.e., a florid vocal phrase
• rubato – robbed; i.e., flexible in tempo, applied to notes within a musical phrase for expressive effect
• ruvido – roughly

This article is about tempo in music. ... Tempo rubato is an Italian musical term for slightly speeding up or slowing down the tempo as well as altering the relationships among the written note values. ...

S

• saltando – bouncing the bow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally "jumping"
• sanft (Ger) – gently
• scherzando, scherzoso – playfully
• scherzo – a joke; i.e., a musical form, originally and usually in fast triple time, often replacing the minuet in the later Classical period and the Romantic period, in symphonies, sonatas, string quartets and the like; in the 19th century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc.
• schleppen (Ger) – to drag; usually nicht schleppen ("don't drag"), paired with nicht eilen ("don't hurry") in Gustav Mahler's scores
• schnell (Ger) – fast
• schneller (Ger) – faster
• scordatura – out of tune; i.e., an alternative tuning used for the strings of a string instrument
• secco, or sec (Fr) – dry
• segno – sign, usually Dal Segno (see above) "from the sign", indicating a return to the point marked by
• segue – carry on to the next section without a pause
• sehr (Ger) – very
• semplice – simply
• sempre – always
• senza – without
• senza sordino – without the mute
• serioso – seriously
• sforzando or sfz – made loud; i.e., a sudden strong accent
• silenzio – silence; i.e., without reverberations
• simile – similarly; i.e., continue applying the preceding directive, whatever it was, to the following passage
• slargando or slentando – becoming broader or slower (that is, becoming more largo or more lento)
• smorzando or smorz. – dying away, extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreted as a drop in dynamics, and very often in tempo as well
• soave – smoothly, gently
• solenne – solemn
• solo, plural soli – alone; i.e., played by a single instrument. The instruction soli requires more than one player; in a jazz big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony.
• sonatina – a little sonata
• sonatine – a little sonata, used in some countries instead of sonatina
• sonore – sonorous
• sospirando – sighing
• sostenuto – sustained, lengthened
• sotto voce – under voice; i.e., softly and subdued, as if speaking under one's breath
• spiccato – distinct, separated; i.e., a way of playing the violin and other bowed instruments by bouncing the bow on the string, giving a characteristic staccato effect
• spinto
• spiritoso – spiritedly
• staccato – an indication to play with a sharp attack, and briefly. In music notation a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates that it is to be articulated as staccato.
• stanza – a verse of a song
• strepitoso – noisy
• stretto – tight, narrow; i.e., faster or hastening ahead; also, a passage in a fugue in which the contrapuntal texture is denser, with close overlapping entries of the subject in different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative passages in other compositions
• stringendo – tightening, narrowing; i.e., with a pressing forward or acceleration of the tempo (that is, becoming stretto, see preceding entry)
• subito – suddenly
• sul ponticello – on the bridge; i.e., in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic glassy sound, which emphasizes the higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental; the opposite of sul tasto
• sul tasto – on the fingerboard; i.e., in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) over the fingerboard; the opposite of sul ponticello

A scherzo (plural scherzi) is a name given to a piece of music or a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony. ... Triple metre (or triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterised by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with 3/4 and 9/8 being the most... A minuet, sometimes spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. ... The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... A scordatura (literally Italian for mistuning) is an alternate tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument. ... In music, tuning is the process of producing or preparing to produce a certain pitch in relation to another, usually at the unison but often at some other interval. ... A string is a vibrating element used on many musical instruments, such as the violin, guitar, harp, and piano. ... A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... Segno In music notation, Dal Segno (pronounced [ˈdalˌ ˈseˌɲo] or [ˈdalˌ ˈseˌnjo] but commonly mispronounced as [ˈdælˌ ˈsɛgˌno]) (often abbreviated D.S.) is used as a navigation marker. ... Image File history File links Dal_segno. ... In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ... A mute is a device which alters the timbre and/or reduces the volume of a musical instrument. ... In music, dynamics normally refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, but also to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc. ... In music, solo means to play or sing alone. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... Sotto voce (literally under voice), an Italian expression, means to speak under ones breath or to speak confidentially. ... Spiccato is a bowing technique for stringed instruments in which the bow bounces lightly upon the string. ... Spinto is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large dramatic climaxes at moderate intervals. ... In musical notation, staccato indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened; that is, a short silence should be between the notes, without affecting the rhythm. ... Music notation is a system of writing for music. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts or voices (referred to as voices, regardless of whether the work is vocal or instrumental). ... In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm, and interdependent in harmony. ... A cello bow In music, a bow is a device pulled across the strings of a string instrument in order to make them vibrate and emit sound. ... Pizzicato is a method of playing a bowed string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow. ... A Violin Bridge blank and finished bridge A bridge is a device for supporting the strings on a stringed instrument and transmitting the vibration of those strings to some other structural component of the instrument in order to transfer the sound to the surrounding air balls. ... In acoustics and telecommunication, the harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency. ... The fundamental tone, often referred to simply as the fundamental, is the lowest frequency in a harmonic series. ... A cello bow In music, a bow is a device pulled across the strings of a string instrument in order to make them vibrate and emit sound. ... Pizzicato is a method of playing a bowed string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow. ... Fretted guitar fingerboard. ...

T

• tacet – silent; do not play
• tempo – time; i.e., the overall speed of a piece of music
• tempo di marcia – march tempo
• tempo di valse – waltz tempo
• tempo giusto – in strict time
• tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo I – resume the original speed
• teneramente – tenderly
• tenerezza – tenderness
• tenuto – held; i.e., touch on a note slightly longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value
• tessitura
• tranquillo – calmly, peacefully
• tremolo – shaking; i.e., a rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation between two or more notes. It can also be intended (inaccurately) to mean a rapid and repetitive variation in pitch for the duration of a note (see vibrato). It is notated by a strong diagonal bar across the note stem, or a detached bar for a set of notes (or stemless notes).
• tre corde or tc (or sometimes inaccurately tre corda) – three strings; i.e., release the soft pedal of the piano (see una corda)
• troppo – too much; usually seen as non troppo, meaning moderately or, when combined with other terms, not too much, such as allegro [ma] non troppo (fast but not too fast)
• tutti – all; i.e., all together, usually used in an orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or all of the voices come in at the same time, also seen in Baroque-era music where two instruments share the same copy of music, after one instrument has broken off to play a more advanced form: they both play together again at the point marked tutti. See also: ripieno.

Tacet is Italian for silent. It is an Italian musical term to indicate that an instrument does not play for a long period of time, typically an entire movement. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and the metronome marking as = 120. (Metronome markings were not used in Mozarts day. ... In music, tessitura (Italian: texture) is a range of pitches compared to the instrument for which it was intended to be used. ... Tremolo is a musical term with two meanings: A rapid repetition of the same note, a rapid variation in the amplitude of a single note, or an alternation between two or more notes. ... Vibrato is a musical effect where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound. ... Ripieno (Italian for stuffing) or tutti (Italian for everybody) is the larger of the two ensembles in the concerto grosso. ...

U

• un, uno, or una – one, as for example in the following entries
• una corda – one string; i.e., in piano music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of, the sound. In some pianos, this literally results in the hammer striking one string rather than two or three. (For most notes on modern instruments, in fact it results in striking two rather than three strings.) Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; see in this list), is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released.
• un poco – a little
• unisono or unis (Fr) – in unison; i.e., several players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. Often used to mark the return from divisi (see in this list).

A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

V

• veloce – with velocity
• velocissimo – as quickly as possible; usually applied to a cadenza-like passage or run
• vibrato – vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note, used to give a richer sound and as a means of expression. Often confused with tremolo, which refers either to a similar variation in the volume of a note, or to rapid repetition of a single note.
• vittorioso – victoriously
• virtuoso – (noun or adjective) performing with exceptional ability, technique, or artistry
• vivo – lively
• vivace – very lively, up-tempo
• vivacissimo – very lively
• vocal score or piano-vocal score – a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano
• voce – voice
• volante – flying
• V.S. (volti subito) – turn suddenly; i.e., turn the page quickly

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. ... Vibrato is a musical effect where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound. ... Tremolo is a musical term with two meanings: A rapid repetition of the same note, a rapid variation in the amplitude of a single note, or an alternation between two or more notes. ... Vocal score or Piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... This article is about choirs, musical ensembles containing singers. ... An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. ... A cantata (Italian, sung) is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and generally containing more than one movement. ... In music accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner as well as the music thus played. ... In musical notation, the staff or stave is a set of five horizontal lines on which note symbols are placed to indicate pitch and rhythm. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

W

• wenig (Ger) – a little, not much
• wolno (Polish) – loose, slowly; found as a directive in The Elephant from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns

The Carnival of the Animals (French: Le carnaval des animaux) is a musical suite of 14 movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. ... Charles Camille Saint-Saëns () (9 October 1835 – 16 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist, known especially for his orchestral works The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, and Symphony No. ...

Z

• Zählzeit (Ger) – beat
• zart (Ger) – tender
• Zartheit (Ger) – tenderness
• zärtlich (Ger) – tenderly
• Zeichen (Ger) – sign
• Zeitmaß, also spelled Zeitmass (Ger) – time-measure, i.e., tempo
• zelo, zeloso, zelosamente (It.) – zeal, zealous, zealously
• ziehen (Ger) – to draw out
• zitternd (Ger) – trembling; i.e., tremolando
• zögernd (Ger) – doubtful, delaying; i.e., rallentando

Footnotes

See also

• List of basic music topics
• Modern musical symbols
• Tempo
• Eponymous musical terms

Music is a human expression in the medium of time using the structures of sounds or tones and silence. ... This is intended to be a comprehensive guide on the various symbols encountered in modern musical notation. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and the metronome marking as = 120. (Metronome markings were not used in Mozarts day. ... // Compositions Rock Me Amadeus - a 1985 hit single by Falco, a Vienna-based pop star of the 1980s. ...

External links

• British vs. American Musical Terms
• Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary (contains audio samples)
• Choral Conducting Terms