Musical Terms

a, à (Fr)

At, to, by, for, in, in the style of.

aber (Ger)

But.

a bene placito

Up to the performer.

a cappella

In the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental accompaniment.

accarezzévole

Expressive and caressing.

accelerando, accel.

Accelerating; gradually increasing the tempo.

accent

Attack hard.

accentato

Accented; with emphasis.

acceso

Ignited, on fire.

acciaccatura

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., play slowly.

adagissimo

Very, very slow.

ad libitum (ad lib)

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 a solo passage for one of the instruments.

affannato, affannoso

Anguished.

affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr)

With affect (i.e., with emotion).

affrettando

Hurrying, pressing onwards.

agile

Swiftly.

agitato

Agitated.

al, alla

To the, in the manner of.

alla breve

In cut-time; two beats per measure or the equivalent thereof.

alla marcia

In the style of a march.

allargando

Broadening, becoming a little slower each time.

allegretto

A little lively, moderately fast.

allegretto vivace

A moderately quick tempo.

allegro

Cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast.

allegrissimo

Very fast, though slower than presto.

all’ ottava

'At the octave.'

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.

alzate sordini

Lift or raise the mutes; i.e., remove mutes.

am Steg (Ger)

At the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument near its bridge.

amabile

Amiable, pleasant.

amoroso

Loving.

anacrusis

A note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup.

andante

At a walking pace; i.e., at a moderate tempo.

andantino

Slightly faster than andante.

a niente

To nothing; an indication to make a diminuendo which fades to pppp.

a nessuna cosa

To nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it dies away.

anima

Feeling.

animandosi

Animated, lively.

animato

Animated, lively.

antiphon

A liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs.

apaisé (Fr)

Calmed.

a piacere

At pleasure; the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly.

appassionato

Passionately.

appoggiatura

A 'leaning note'; one or more grace notes that take up some value of the next full note.

a prima vista

Sight-read (lit. 'at first sight'); played or sung from written notation without prior review.

arco

The bow used for playing string instruments; i.e., played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato.

arietta

A short aria.

arioso

Airy, or like an air (a melody); in the manner of an aria; melodious.

armonioso

Harmoniously.

arpeggio

Like a harp; notes of the chords are played quickly one after another instead of simultaneously.

arpeggiato

A way of playing a chord: starting with the lowest note, with successively higher notes rapidly joining in.

assai

Very.

assez (Fr)

Enough, sufficiently.

a tempo

In time; return to the main tempo of the piece.

attacca

Attack or attach; go straight on to the next movement without a pause.

Ausdruck (Ger)

Expression.

ausdrucksvoll (Ger)

Expressively.

avec (Fr)

With or with another.

B

B flat.

barbaro

Barbarous.

Bartók pizzicato

A pizzicato technique where the string is pulled away from the fingerboard and snaps back percussively.

bass

The lowest standard voice range.

basso continuo

Continuous bass; a bass part played continuously to give harmonic structure.

bellicoso

Warlike, aggressive.

ben or bene

Well; as in ben marcato ('well marked').

beschleunigte (Ger)

Accelerated.

bewegt (Ger)

Moved, with speed.

binary

A musical form in two sections: AB.

bis (Lat)

Twice; repeat the relevant action or passage.

bisbigliando

Whispering; a special tremolo effect on the harp.

bocca chiusa

With closed mouth.

bravura

Boldness; as in con bravura, boldly.

breit (Ger)

Broad.

brillante

Brilliantly, with sparkle.

brio

Vigor; as in con brio, with vigor.

brioso

Vigorously.

bruscamente

Brusquely.

cadenza

A solo section in a concerto or similar work to display the performer's technique.

calando

Falling away; getting slower and quieter.

calore

Warmth; as in con calore, warmly.

cambiare

To change; e.g., to a new instrument.

canon or kanon (Ger)

A theme repeated and imitated with a time delay, creating a layered effect.

cantabile or cantando

In a singing style.

capriccioso

Capriciously, unpredictably.

cédez (Fr)

Yield, give way.

cesura or caesura

A break or stop; a complete break in sound.

chiuso

Closed; muted by hand.

coda

A tail; a closing section appended to a movement.

codetta

A small coda; a passage appended to a section of a movement.

col, colla

With the.

colla parte

With the soloist; follow the rhythm and tempo of the soloist.

colla voce

With the voice; follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo singer.

col legno

With the wood; strings are struck with the wood of the bow.

coloratura

Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line.