grave
slow, solemn, heavy (slow tempo)
largo
very slow (slow tempo)
larghetto
somewhat faster than largo, but still slow (slow tempo)
lento
slow (slow tempo)
adagio
moderately slow (slow tempo)
andante
"walking" pace (moderate tempo)
andantino
somewhat faster than andante; moderate (moderate tempo)
moderato
moderate speed (moderate tempo)
allegretto
moderately fast, somewhat slower than allegro (fast tempo)
allegro
fast (fast tempo)
vivace
lively, quick (fast tempo)
presto
very fast (fast tempo)
prestissimo
extremely fast (fast tempo)
accelerando (accel.)
accelerating, gradually becoming faster
stringendo (string.)
tightening, gradually becoming faster
ritardando (rit.)/rallentando (rall.)
gradually becoming slower
allargando (allarg.)
broadening, becoming slower
calando/morendo/perdendosi
dying away; becoming slower/softer
a tempo
"at tempo" - returning to speed obtained before a ritardando or accelerando
tempo primo (tempo I)
returning to the original tempo of a piece; often seen in a piece's recapitulation
meno mosso
less motion; slower
piĂą mosso
more motion; faster
(alla) marcia
march (tempo); music that suggests marching
waltz/valse
dance in triple meter at moderate speed; emphasis placed on first beat
molto
very; a lot
ma non troppo
(but) not too much
rubato
"robbed time"; playing a passage freely, speeding up or slowing down as the performer sees fit
l'istesso tempo
same tempo; beat remains constant through metrical changes
common time (4/4)
4 quarter-note beats per measure; names for note lengths (whole, half, quarter, eighth, ...) come from what fraction of a common-time measure they take up
cut time (2/2)
2 half-note beats per measure
tremolo
"trembling" effect typically produced on strings by rapidly repeating a note
attacca
proceed without pause (usually between movements of a larger work)
piano (p)
soft
forte (f)
loud
mezzo piano (mp)
moderately soft
mezzo forte (mf)
moderately loud
pianissimo (pp)
very soft
fortissimo (ff)
very loud
pianississimo (ppp)
extremely soft
fortississimo (fff)
extremely loud
subito (s)
sudden
forzando (fz)
forced, accented
subito forzando/sforzando (sfz)
sudden, forced accent
subito piano (sp)
suddenly soft
subito forte (sf)
suddenly loud
fortepiano (fp)
forte immediately followed by piano
pianoforte (pf)
piano immediately followed by forte; could also refer to the full name for a piano
subito fortepiano (sfp)
sudden forte followed immediately by a piano
subito pianoforte (spf)
sudden piano followed immediately by a forte
crescendo (cresc.)
gradually getting louder
decrescendo/diminuendo (decresc./dim.)
gradually getting softer
crescendo molto (cresc. molto)
(gradually) getting a lot louder
diminuendo molto (dim. molto)
(gradually) getting a lot softer
crescendo poco a poco (cresc. poco a poco)
getting louder, little by little
diminuendo poco a poco (dim. poco a poco)
getting softer, little by little
animato
animated
agitato
agitated
appassionato
passionately
brillante
brilliant
cantabile
in a singing manner
con grazia
with grace
con brio
with brilliance
con amore
with love
con anima
with feeling/soul
con fuoco
with fire, energy
con forza
with force
con spirito/spiritoso
with spirit
col legno
"with the wood"; striking the string with the wood of the bow
delicato
delicate
dolce
sweetly
dolcissimo
very sweetly
doloroso
grieving, sorrowful
energico
energetically
furioso
furiously, wildly
giocoso
comical, playful
grandioso
grand
legato
smooth, connected
leggiero
lightly, delicately
maestoso
majestic
pesante
heavy
pomposo
pompous, with dignity
scherzando
playfully
sostenuto
sustained, held
serioso
seriously
tranquillo
tranquil
vigoroso
vigorously, strong
staccato
short and detached
accent
louder or with harder attack
marcato
much louder, with much stronger attack, marked, or with emphasis
tenuto (ten.)
held, sustained for full value; "leaning in" to note
fermata
indefinitely sustained note; usually appears over all parts at same metrical location in a piece to show a halt in tempo; pause over a note or rest, holding it longer than its indicated value
breath mark
taking a breath; pause usually does not affect overall tempo
caesura
"railroad tracks"; indicates brief, silent pause during which time is not counted; time resumes when conductor begins counting again
tie
connects two or more notes of the same pitch, forming one longer note
slur
smoothly connects two or more notes of different pitches (no breath for vocalists)
spiccato
very short staccato accent; bouncing the bow (not always notated as shown in picture)
repeat sign
encloses a passage that is to be repeated; if no left repeat is present, return to beginning of piece or last double bar line
1st and 2nd endings (volta brackets; occasionally 3rd endings are written)
indicates different endings for a repeat
da capo (D.C.)
from the beginning
dal segno (D.S.)
from the sign