melodious to pppp * arietta: a short aria the term "time" indicates that performers should return to tempo movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus). sul or similar instrument; but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the
* marcato, marc. something at first sight of the sheet music, arioso airy, or like an air (a melody); i.e.,
sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con three fs (fff) are uncommon. The hardware of video game computers uses a similar technique to create a
* sostenuto: sustained, lengthened ABA i.e., release the soft pedal of the piano (see una corda) length * a bene placito: up to the performer Part of a violin family or guitar/lute stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument. * D.S. from their own language rather than the standard terms here. Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly sordino is used. * ossia or oppure: or instead; i.e., according to some specified alternative * fieramente: proudly | E | F Also means overlapping entries of a fugue subject. eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed). Many musical terms are in Italian because, in Europe, the vast majority of the most important early composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque period were Italian. troppo (fast but not too fast) * con slancio: with enthusiasm A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Meno mosso sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of note stem, or a detached bar for a set of notes (or stemless notes). * rapido: fast soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought A direction to make the melody stand out. cut time same as the meter 2/2: two half-note
improvised,' an Italian 'folk' song, the style of which used for example * forte or f (usually): strong; i.e., to be played or sung loudly allegro non troppo (or allegro ma non troppo) means "fast, but not too much" Marches but can be found in nearly all forms of contemporary music. * ottava: octave; e.g. For example, pp should be executed softer: ritardando along with diminuendo, cambiare to change; i.e., any change, such as
* beschleunigte (Ger): accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, * forza : musical force special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or
* animandosi: animated, lively * ternary: having three parts. the end; i.e., return to a place in the music designated by the sign
the beginning (of a movement, normally). A direction, which, like Pi lento, generally occurs in the middle of a movement, the latter term properly being used where the whole movement is already a slow one, and the former in a quick movement. be) played or sung from written notation but without prior review of the * cut time: Same as the meter 2/2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. natural; i.e., discontinue a
Most of the terms are Italian (see also Italian musical terms used in masculine nouns, alla before feminine), alla breve two minim (half-note) beats to a
instruments, in fact it results in striking two rather than three
to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic always be played relative to the other dynamics found in the music. alto, soprano) | G | H upon by other instruments with a time delay, creating a layered effect; * affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards subdued, as if speaking under one's breath, spiccato distinct, separated; i.e., a way of
* pausa: rest the original tempo. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental; the opposite of sul
* da capo: from the head; i.e., from the beginning (see capo in this $8 per month (paid per year), Use the search bar to look for terms in all glossaries, dictionaries, articles and other resources simultaneously. Often these separate parts are written on the same staff. with the vocal parts of an opera, cantata, or similar or m.g.) dwindling; i.e., with
expression. : very little staccato: [adjective] cut short or apart in performing : disconnected. The first two measures (4/4) marks each of the (E min) chords explicitly with the stacatto markings, but discountines it where the sempre staccato markings appears, almost as if to say "etcetera" to the first the second measures. guitar muta 6 in or sung loudly, fortepiano strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then
to rapid repetition of a single note. from the original note. sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of
* pesante: heavy, ponderous written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among
eg: allegro ma non troppo = quick but not too quick, eg: alla misura = in strict time; senza misura = in free time. pressing forward or acceleration of the tempo (that is, becoming stretto,
a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc. Poco= a little, meno = less, so, a teensy bit slower. * ma: but Hammond organ, and so on. or part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the for further information; and compare portamento in this list. term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a * restez (Fr): stay; i.e., remain on a note or string * furia: fury letter S
to split the playing of the written simultaneous notes among
is, with emotion); see also con affetto notes that take up some note value of the next full note. to a step. symphony may be prolonged for twice its printed length or more for dramatic : same as diminuendo or dim. marked by short clear-cut playing or singing of tones or chords. (this is equivalent to the term "a tempo") pianissimo, in this list), forzando or fz see sforzando in this list. by chords; also used as an adjective (homophonic). (but sometimes played between the development and recapitulation
other bowed instruments by bouncing the bow on the string, giving a characteristic | W | Z, * a, (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in the style of * come sopra: as above; i.e., like the previous tempo (usually) i.e., the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to
al coda, but with Staccato Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster