Musical Terms

Piano - Lv. 2 - 5

allegro

fast, quick (cheerfully, merrily)

andante

walking tempo

moderato

moderate tempo

vivace

quickly, lively

ppp

pianississimo: very, very soft

fff

fortississimo: very, very loud

sf sfz fz

sforzando: a sudden, sharp accent

cadence

The chords that end a phrase or section of a composition

authentic cadence

cadence using the harmonic progression of V to I

half cadence

cadence using a harmonic progression that ends on V

plagal cadence

cadence using the harmonic progression of IV to I

sequence

repeating a melodic pattern in the same voice at a higher or lower pitch, often a 2nd or 3rd above or below

adagio

slow tempo, slower than andante

spiritoso

spirited

accelerando, accel.

gradually faster, accelerate tempo

dolce

sweetly

molto

much, very

poco

little

una corda

apply the soft pedal (pedal on the left)

tre corde

the release of the soft pedal (pedal on the left)

relative Major and minor

Major and minor keys sharing the same key signature

motif, motive

a short musical idea

legato pedal (syncopated pedal, overlapping pedal)

creating a seamless, unblurred legato by raising and quickly re-depressing the damper pedal at the same time as, or immediately after, the keys are played

andantino

a little faster than andante

allegretto

a little slower than allegro

presto

very fast tempo

cantabile

in a singing style

espressivo

expressively

leggiero

lightly

subito

suddenly

-etto

suffix meaning little or less

-ino

suffix meaning little or less

articulation

the various ways in which notes are executed, including, but not limited to, staccato and legato

parallel Major and minor

keys sharing the same tonic note

transposition

The act of performing or writing a musical work in a key other than the key in which it was originally written

meter

the arrangement of beats into groups of equal size (measures) and with regular recurring accents

imitation

statement of a motive in another voice or hand

tr / ~~

trill

animato

animated, with spirit

con

with

con brio

with brilliance

con moto

with motion

largo

stately, broadly, dignified, very slow, slower than adagio

tranquillo

peacefully, tranquil, calm

vivo

brisk, lively

arpeggio

a broken chord in which the notes are performed melodically rather than harmonically. The arpeggio may be written out or indicated with a wavy line placed in front of a chord.

ostinato

a short musical pattern that is repeated throughout a composition or section of a composition

enharmonic

pitches that are the same but named or spelled differently, such as C# and Db

mordent

appoggiatura

Italian: “to lean”

turn

to turn around the note