Grade 8 Theory

a

at,to,by,far,in the style of (F)

accerlerando,accel.

gradually getting faster (it)

a cappella

unaccompanied (ref. choral music)

à deux, à 2, a due, a 2

for 2 performers/instruments to play in unison (Fr/Fr/It/It)

alla breve

with a minim beat, equivalent to 2/2 (It)

alt

high (used in vocal music to refer to notes in the octave above the treble stave)

au tallone/ au talon

use the bow (of a string instrument) at the heel (Fr)

an der Spitze

use the bow (of a string instrument) at the point (G)

am Frosch

use the bow (of a string instrument) at the heel (G)

a punto d'arco

use the bow (of a string instrument) at the point (It)

à la pointe

use the bow (of a string instrument) at the point (Fr)

ad libitum, ad lib.

at choice, freely (L)

adagietto

rather slow but faster than adagio (It)

adagio

slow (It)

affettuoso

tenderly (It)

affrettando

hurrying (It)

agitato

agitated (It)

al, alla

to the, in the manner of (It)

allargando

broadening/getting slower and louder (It)

allegretto

fairly fast/slower than allegro (It)

allegro

fast (It)

Als

than (G)

amabile

amiable, pleasant (It)

amore

love (It)

bestimmt

with decision, definite (G)

bis

twice (It)

bravura

skill, brilliance (It)

col, coll', colla, colle

with, with the (It)

colla parte

keep with the soloist, a direction to an accompanist (It)

colla voce

keep with the singer, a direction to an accompanist (It)

apaisé

calmed (Fr)

a piacere

at pleasure, meaning that the performer is not bound to follow the given rhythm exactly (It)

Dämpfer

mute (G)

doch

however, yet (G)

duolo

dolore (It)

égal, éguale

equal (Fr/It)

Empfindung

emotion, feeling (G)

emporté

fiery, impetuous (Fr)

en cédent

yielding (Fr)

enlevez

take off, take up, a direction for a pedal/mute (Fr)

en mesure

in time (Fr)

en pressant

hurrying on (Fr)

en retenant

holding back (Fr)

en serrant

becoming quicker (Fr)

espressione

expression (It)

felice

happy (It)

feroce

fierce (It)

feurig

fiery (G)

Flatterzunge, Flzg

flutter-tonguing, a direction for wind instruments (G)

flautato, flautando

flute-like, a direction for natural harmonics on string instruments

flessibile

flexible (It)

fliessend

glowing (G)

flottant

floating (Fr)

frei

free (G)

fretta

haste (It)

frisch

vigorous (G)

gebunden

joined (G)

gehend

at a steady speed, equivalent to andante (G)

gesangvoll

in a singing style (G)

geschwind

quick (G)

giojoso

joyful, merry (It)

glissando, gliss.

slide - a rapid scale passage produced by drawing a thumb or finger-tip along the white keys of a piano, or by sweeping the fingers across the strings of a harp or by sliding the finger along a string of string instrument (It)

G.P.

an indication to individual performers that all are silent

grandioso

grandly (It)

impetuoso

impetuous (It)

innig

heartfelt, sincere (G)

inquieto

restless (It)

kräftig

strong (G)

lamentoso

lamenting (It)

légèrement, leggiero, leicht

light, nimble (Fr/It/G)

leid

grief, pain (G)

leise

soft, gentle (G)

liberamente, librement

freely (It)

licenza

licence, freedom (It)

lointain, lontano

distant (Fr/It)

lourd

heavy (Fr)

lugubre

mournful (It)

lustig

cheerful (G)

mano

hand (It)

martélé, martellato

strongly accented, generally used in string music to denote a particular type of bowing, but can laso be applied to music for piano or other instruments (Fr/It)

misterioso

mysterious (It)

munter

lively (G)

muta

change (It)

nach und nach

gradually (G)

naturale, nat.

in the ordinary way, a direction to a singer/instrumentalist to continue the normal way of performing (Fr)

obbligato

obligatory, indicating that an instrument has a special role and is essential (It)

ottava, ott

octave (It)

parlando

speaking, a direction to sing in a conversational style (It)

patetico

with deep feeling, with pathos (It)

pausa

a pause (It)

pedale, pédale

pedal (It/Fr)

per

by, for, through, to (It)

pietoso, pietosamente

tenderly (It)

pizzicato, pizz.

plucked, a direction for plucking the strings of a bowed instrument (It)

placido

calm, peaceful (It)

pochissimo, pochiss

very little (It)

portamento

slide from one note to the next, a direction to a voice, bowed instrument or trombone (It)

precipitando, precipitato, precipitoso

rushing, headlong (It)

repetizione, replica

repetition (It)

saltando, saltato

springing, a lightly bouncing bow technique on string instruments (It)