|
Tempo
| Largo |
Very slow |
| Larghetto |
Not as slow as largo |
| Adagio |
Slow, leisurely |
| Lento |
Slow |
| Moderato |
Moderate |
| Andante |
Moving with a moderate tempo |
| Andantino |
Faster than andante |
| Allegretto |
A little slower than allegro |
| Allegro |
Moderately fast |
| Vivace |
Lively, animated, brisk |
| Presto |
Fast, rapid |
| Prestissimo |
Very rapidly |
|
Dynamics
| Pianissimo |
Very soft |
| Piano |
Soft |
| Mezzo piano |
Moderately soft |
| Mezzo forte |
Moderately loud |
| Forte |
Loud |
| Fortissimo |
Very loud |
| Crescendo |
Increasing in loudness |
| Decrescendo |
decreasing in loudness |
| Diminuendo |
diminishing in loudness |
| Rinforzando |
sudden increase in loudness |
| Sforzando |
play the note with sudden emphasis |
|
|
Style
| Amoroso |
tender and affectionate |
| Animato |
animated; lively |
| Calando |
gradually softer and slower |
| Cantabile |
in a singing style |
| Con Anima |
with life and animation |
| Con Brio |
with vigor and spirit |
| Con Fuoco |
with energy or passion |
| Deciso |
decisively |
| Detache |
detached |
| Dolce |
sweetly |
| Doloroso |
sorrowfully |
| Espressivo |
expressively |
| Furioso |
furious |
| Giocoso |
humorous |
| Grandioso |
with grandeur |
| Grazioso |
gracefully |
| Legato |
smooth and connected |
| Leggiero |
lightly |
| Maestoso |
majestically |
| Marcato |
marked and stressed |
| Marzial |
in the style of a march |
| Morendo |
dying away |
| Perdendosi |
dying away |
| Pesante |
heavy |
| Religioso |
religious, solemn |
| Rubato |
taken out of tempo |
| Semplice |
simple |
| Sempre |
always, continuously |
| Sostenuto |
sustained |
| Soto voce |
in an undertone |
| Staccato |
short and detached |
| Tenuto |
sustained, held for full value |
| Tranquillo |
tranquil |
|
Articulation
| Staccato |
a dot placed above or below a note
means to play it short |
| Slur |
a curved line either above or below
notes that connects two different pitches that are to be played
smoothly |
| Tie |
a curved line either above or
below two of the same pitches indicating not to attack
the second note |
| Tenuto |
a line above or below the note means
to play the full value of the note |
| Accent |
an accent placed above or below the
note means to emphasize the note |
| Breath Mark |
an apostrophe placed above the staff
means to take a breath |
Other
Terms
| Assai |
very |
| Con |
with |
| L'istesso |
same |
| Meno |
less |
| Mosso |
moved, agitated |
| Non troppo |
not too much |
| Piu mosso |
faster |
| Poco |
little |
| Poco a poco |
little by little |
| Sforzando |
suddenly accented (forced) |
| Simile |
in the same manner |
| Subito |
suddenly |
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