Choral Conducting Terms

a tempo

TEMPO MARKING: "In time" or "at the original tempo," used to instruct performers to return to the previous speed after a temporary change

Accelerando

TEMPO MARKING: Gradually increase the speed or tempo of the music

Ad Libitum

TEMPO MARKING: "At one's pleasure" or "as you desire."

Adagio

TEMPO MARKING: Play slowly and gracefully, indicating a leisurely tempo that allows for expressive depth and emotional resonance

Affettuoso

EXPRESSION MARKING: Directing performers to play with tender emotion, warmth, and heartfelt expression

Agitato

EXPRESSION MARKING: Interpret the music in an agitated or restless manner, evoking a sense of anxiety and heightened emotional intensity

Alla Breve

A 2/2 time signature where the half note receives the beat instead of the quarter note

Allargando

TEMPO MARKING: To "broaden" or "widen”, directing performers to gradually slow the tempo while often increasing the volume and weight of the notes

Allegretto

TEMPO MARKING: Indicating a "moderately fast" or "lightly brisk" speed, generally faster than andante but slower than allegro

Allegro

TEMPO MARKING: "cheerful" or "lively," used to instruct musicians to play at a brisk, fast speed

Andante

TEMPO MARKING: "At a walking pace"

Appassionata

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play with intense emotion, fervor, and strong feeling, conveying deep passion, intensity, and dramatic expression

Assai

MODIFIER: Particular element or quality should be emphasized significantly

Con Brio

EXPRESSION MARKING: "With spirit" or "with vigor"

Con Fuoco

EXPRESSION MARKING": Play with fiery energy, passion, vigor, and intensity, often implying speed and powerful emotion, as if blazing with fervor, to convey a sense of passion and drive in the music

Crescendo

DYNAMIC MARKING: A gradual increase in loudness or intensity over a passage of time

Decrescendo

DYNAMIC MARKING: To gradually decrease the volume or loudness of a passage, instructing performers to get softer smoothly over a shorter period of time

Diminuendo

DYNAMIC MARKING: To gradually decrease the volume or loudness of a passage, becoming softer over a longer period of time

Dolce

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play with a soft, gentle, and tender expression

Espressivo

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play with heightened emotion, feeling, and musical nuance

Forte

DYNAMIC MARKING: "loud" or "strong."

Forte-piano

DYNAMIC MARKING: A sudden, sharp contrast: play loudly (forte) and then immediately soft (piano)

Furioso

DYNAMIC AND EXPRESSION MARKING: Play with intense, wild, passionate, or stormy energy, characterized by forceful, rapid, and sometimes violent execution to evoke a sense of rage or heightened emotion

Giocoso

EXPRESSION MARKING: "Playful," "cheerful," or "humorous," used as a directive to instruct performers to play a passage in a lighthearted, joyous, and, in some cases, spirited manner

Grave

TEMPO MARKING: Extremely slow (typically 20-40 beats per minute) and solemn, heavy, or serious performance style

Lacrimoso

EXPRESSION MARKING: "Tearful," "sorrowful," or "weeping"

Largo

TEMPO MARKING: "Broad" or "wide," indicating a very slow, stately, and solemn pace

Leggiero

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play or sing with a light, airy, and delicate touch, often applied to rapid passages

Lento

TENPO MARKING: Play at a slow, leisurely, and often calm pace, typically ranging from 40 to 60 beats per minute (BPM)

Maestoso

EXPRESSION MARKING: "Majestic," "stately," or "dignified"

Meno

EXPRESSION MARKING: "Less," used to instruct performers to reduce speed, motion, or intensity

Mezzo Forte

DYNAMIC MARKING: "Moderately loud" or "medium strong"

Mezzo Piano

DYNAMIC MARKING: "Moderately quiet" or "medium weak"

Molto

TEMPO, DYNAMIC, AND EXPRESSION MARKING: "Very," "much," or "a great deal"

Morendo

EXPRESSION MARKING: Gradual fading away, instructing the performer to slow down the tempo (ritardando) and decrease the volume (decrescendo or diminuendo) until the sound dies out, often at the end of a phrase or piece, creating a gentle, ethereal effect

Non Tanto

TEMPO AND EXPRESSION MARKING: "Not so much,"

Non Troppo

TEMPO AND EXPRESSION MARKING: "Not too much" or "moderately,"

Pesante

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play with a weighty, forceful, and ponderous quality, emphasizing seriousness and substantiality rather than lightness, often involving strong accents, deliberate pacing, and emotional depth, as if the music itself carries significant weight

Pianissimo

DYNAMIC MARKING: Play very softly

Piano

DYNAMIC MARKING: Play quiet

Piu

TERM: "More"

Poco

TEMPO, DYNAMICS, AND EXPRESSION MARKING: "A little," "slightly," or "somewhat"

Poco a poco

EXPRESSION MARKING: "Little by little" or "gradually

Prestissimo

TEMPO MARKING: "As fast as possible"

Presto

TEMPO MARKING: Play at a very fast, rapid, and brisk tempo

Quasi

TEMPO, DYNAMICS, AND EXPRESSION MARKING: "Almost," "as if," "nearly," or "in the style of”

Rallentando

TEMPO MARKING: "Gradually slowing down,"

Ritardando

TEMPO MARKING: Gradually slow down the tempo of a piece or passage, creating a smooth deceleration for expressive or conclusive effect, like easing a car to a stop.

Ritenuto

TEMPO MARKING: Sudden, immediate reduction in tempo, acting as a "held back" or "restrained" speed

Rubato

EXPRESSION/TEMPO MARKING: Intentionally speeds up (accelerando) and slows down (ritardando) the tempo for expressive purposes, "stealing" time from one beat and giving it back later to enhance emotional depth and phrasing, while maintaining the overall pulse or returning to the original tempo

Sempre

EXPRESSION MARKING: "Always" or "consistently"

Senza

MUSICAL DIRECTIVE: "Without," used in sheet music to instruct performers to omit a specific instrument, effect, or technique

Sforzando

DYNAMIC MARKING: Play a specific note, chord, or phrase with a sudden, strong, and dramatic accent or reinforcement

Semplice

EXPRESSION MARKING: Perform in a simple manner

Sostenuto

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play with sustained and prolonged notes or phrases, creating a sense of continuity and expression

Stretto

MUSICAL TERM: The overlapping of a melody (like a fugue's subject) by different voices, creating a dense, urgent feel, often near the end of a piece for climax, but it can also mean a concluding passage with an accelerated tempo

Stringendo

TEMPO MARKING: Gradually increase the speed (tempo) of a passage, often with a simultaneous increase in volume and tension to create a sense of urgency or to drive toward a climax

Subito forte

DYNAMICS MARKING: "Suddenly loud"

Subito piano

DYNAMIC MARKING: "Suddenly quiet"

Tacet

MUSICAL DIRECTIVE: Remain silent for an extended passage, such as an entire movement or long section

Tempo giusto

EXPRESSION MARKING: Play in a strict, exact, or "right" tempo

Trattenuto

TEMPO MARKING: A temporary, often dramatic slowing of the pace

Vivace

TEMPO MARKING: “Lively," "brisk," or "animated"