musical terms

meter

regular grouping of beats

measure

a single group of beats

bar line

written division of measures

phrase

grouping of measures

time signature

gives meter and note value

clef sign

assigns pitch to the staff

staff

five lines for music notation

system

a group of staves bracketed together

double bar line

end of piece

pulse

steady beat

metric accent

the accent that determines the meter

D.C. (Da Capo)

back to the beginning

fine

end after a D.C. repetition

D.C. al fine

back to the beginning until the marked end (fine)

legato

smooth/connected

staccato

short/disconnected

articulation

the way the notes are played (legato, staccato, or a combo)

grave

solemn

largo

slow

adagio

at ease

adante

walking tempo

moderato

moderate tempo

allegro

fast

vivace

fast and lively

presto

very fast

ritardando

slowing down

rallentando

slowing down

rubato

freely

a tempo

at tempo

accelerando

accelerate

-ino

a little

-ette

a little

-issimo

more

alla marcia

as a march

cantabile

singing

con brio

with spirit

con fuoco

with fire

dolce

sweetly

doloroso

painfully

energicio

generous

espressivo

expressive

giocoso

playful

leggiero

lightly

maestoso

majestic

marcato

marked

pesante

heavy

scherzando

jokingly

semplice

simple

tranquillo

tranquil

assai

very

molto

much

ppp - pianississimo

very very soft

pp - pianissimo

very soft

p - piano

soft

mp - mezzo piano

somewhat soft

mf - mezzo forte

somewhat loud

f - forte

loud

ff - fortissimo

very loud

fff - fortississimo

very very loud

crescendo

growing louder

decrescendo

growing softer

diminuendo

growing softer

sforzando

greatly accented

perdendosi

dying away