Certificate of Merit level 9 terms

Legato

smooth and connected notes

Detache

one note per bowstroke, played smoothly

staccato

spiccato

bow is bounced off the string

sautille

rapid spiccato, very close to the string

ricochet

bow is thrown at the string, bounced repeatedly down or up

jete

bow is thrown at the string, bounced repeatedly down or up

accent

play with emphasis

sforzando

Sudden, sharp accent

rinforzando

sudden, sharp accent; or, a sudden crescendo

marcato

marked, stressed, emphasized

martele

sharp attack with clean rrelease; French for hammered

colle

press then lift the bow, french for glued

tenuto

hold for full value (or can mean slightly separated)

portato

several notes slightly separated within a slur

loure

several notes slightly separated within a slur

sul ponticello

bow very close to the bridge

sul tasto

bow lightly over the fingerboard, creating a flute-like effect

flautando

bow lightly over the fingerboard, creating a flute-like effect

sulla tastiera

bow lightly over the fingerboard, creating a flute-like effect

sur la touche

bow lightly over the fingerboard, creating a flute-like effect

au talon

at the frog or heel of the bow

punta d'arco

at the tip or point of the bow

col legno

with the wood (strike the string with the stick)

prestissimo

as fast as possible

presto

very fast tempo

vivace

quickly, lively

allegro

fast and happily

allegretto

a little slower than allegro

moderato

moderate tempo

andantino

a little faster than andante

andante

slow, walking tempo (slower than moderato

adagio

slow tempo (slower than andante)

lento

slow tempo (not as slow as largo)

largo

extremely slow; stately; broadly

grave

very slow, serious, solemn.

fermata

hold longer

lunga

long "lunga pausa" is a long pause

ritard

gradually slower

ritardando

gradually slower

rallentando

gradually slower

allargando

gradually broader, slower

ritenuto

immediately slower, can also mean gradually slower

calando

gradually softer and slower

morendo

gradually softer and slower; dying away

smorzando

gradually softer and slower; dying away

accelerando

gradually faster

stringendo

gradually faster

schnell

fast (german)

vivo

lively

lebhaft

lively (german)

meno mosso

less motion (slower)

piu mosso

more motion (faster)

langsam

slowly (german)

tardo

Slowly

L'istesso tempo

teh same tempo (the same pulse)

a tempo

return to the previous speed

tempo 1 (primo)

return to the first tempo

doppio movimento

twice as fast

rubato

flexible tempo

ad libitum

freedom to alter rhyme (latin for "at one's pleasure")

syncopation

weaker beats are stressed; accented offbeats

hemiola

a shift in the rhythmic pulse from 2 to 3, or 3 to 2

agogic accent

emphasis through having longer duration

fortississimo

very very loud

fortissimo

very loud

forte

loud

mezzo forte

moderately loud

mezzo piano

moderately soft

piano

soft

pianissimo

very soft

pianississimo

very very soft

cresendo

gradually louder

decrescendo/diminiuendo

gradually softer

fortepiano

loud, then immediately soft

solo

piece/passage for/played by one player

soli

a passage in which a particular instrumental section is prominent

tutti

all; passage for the whole ensemble or section

concerto

a piece for a soloist with orchestral accompaniment

sonata

a piece for a soloist with piano (or piano alone)

string quartet

2 violins, viola, and cello

piano trio

violin, cello, piano

string trio

2 violins and cello, or violin, viola and cello

sections of a symphony orchestra

strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion

binary form

a two part form, sections A and B, usually repeated like AA BB

tenary form

a three part form sections ABA

sonata form

A form with an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation (classical era)

etude

an exercise or study

motive or motif

a short musical idea, repeated throughout a piece

phrase

a musical sentence; a natural division of the melodic line

theme

the material or melody that serves as the basis of a piece

coda

an ending passage of a coposition

elegy

a funeral piece

arioso

a piece written in the style of an aria; singing

canon

a piece in which the melody overlaps, like a round

repition

exact repeating of a melodic pattern with the same pitch and rhythm

sequence

immediate restatement of a passage at a higher or lower pitch

transposition

shifting music from one key to another, moving all the notes by the same interval

modulation

changing from one key to another within a piece; the music shifts to a new key

homophony

one melodic line