Musical Terminology

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A
A	Absolute	Absolute music. Music which is inspired by itself rather than extramusical implications such as the stories legends of “program” music.
	A Cappella	Without accompaniment.
	Accelerando	Gradually faster; a term in general use to show that the music should be played at an increasing speed.
	Adagio	Slowly; slower than andante, faster than largo; a musical composition in adagio tempo; a difficult ballet duet or trio. Adagietto is a little faster than adagio.
	Adagietto	Slow, but a little faster than Adagio.
	Addolorato	Sorrowfully.
	Ad libitum	A term which permits the performer to vary the tempo and/or to include or omit a vocal or instrumental part.
	Affrettando	Hurrying.
	Agilmente	Lively.
	Agitato	In a restless and agitated manner.
	Air	(aria) The chief voice part or melody in choral music.
	Aleatory	Improvisation or random in character.
	Allargando	Gradual slowing of tempo, with increasing volume; most frequently occurs toward the end of a piece.
	Allegretto	Fast, but not as fast as Allegro.
	Allegro	Fast, though not as fast as vivace or presto.
	Allemande	A German dance in 4/4 time, often the 1st dance in a baroque dance suite.
	Andante	A moderate tempo or tempo at a walking pace.
	Andantino	Can be a little faster or slower than Andante, usually meant to be a little faster.
	Animato	With animation.
	Anthem	A short vocal composition.
	Appassionato	With passion.
	Arabesque	A short decorative piano piece.
	Arpeggio	Describing notes in a chord played individually (one after another) as opposed to simultaneously.
	Arrangement	An adaption of a composition.
	Atonality ↑ Return to Top	Lacking a tonal center; not in a specific key and therefore has no specific ‘home’ note or chord. The word atonality refers technically to various forms of 20th century music not in a key.
B
B	Badiniere	A piece of music with a light-hearted character.
	Barcarolle	A boating-song, generally used to describe the boating songs of gondoliers in Venice, imitated by composers in songs and instrumental pieces
	Baroque	The period of musical history from 1600 – 1750.
	Berceuse	A berceuse is a cradle-song or lullaby, in lilting triple or compound time.
	Bourree ↑ Return to Top	A French dance from the 17th century in brisk duple time starting with a pickup; a musical composition with the rhythm of this dance.
C
C	Cadence	A cadence usually consists of two chords that provide musical punctuation at the end of phrases or sentences.
	Cadenza	A solo passage, either written by the composer or improvised by the performer, preceding the capitulation of the piece.
	Camminando	Following easily and gently.
	Canon	Two or more parts that have the same melody but start at different points.
	Cantabile	At a walking speed and in singing style.
	Cantata	Baroque sacred or secular choral composition of some length, containing solos, duets, and choruses, with or without orchestral or keyboard accompaniment.
	Caprice/Capriccio	A fugal composition; dances or dance suites or any composition that allows a relatively free play of fancy.
	Carol	A song of praise and celebration, usually for Christmas.
	Cassation	describes a piece of music akin to a divertimento or serenade, music intended primarily for entertainment.
	Chamber music	Music for a small ensemble of instruments, intended for performance in a room or chamber, as opposed to a church or larger building.
	Chanson	A French song; originally, songs from troubadour compositions of the Middle ages.
	Chorale	Hymn-like song, characterized by blocked chords.
	Chord	A combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously.
	Classical	Music composed primarily during the period 1770 – 1825.
	Coda	The closing section of a composition; an added ending.
	Coloratura	Used to describe vocal music that is extensively ornamented and calls for ability in a very high register.
	Composer	A person who creates (composes) music.
	Con brio	With spirit; vigorously.
	Con calore	With warmth.
	Concert	A public performance of music.
	Concertante	A concertante is a part that calls for some element of solo performance, as in a classical concerto.
	Concertino	A short concerto; the small group of solo instruments used in a concerto grosso
	Concert master	The first chair violinist in an orchestra.
	Concerto	A piece of instrumental music that contrasts a solo instrument or a small group of solo instruments with the main body of the orchestra.
	Con intensita	With intensity.
	Con moto	With motion.
	Consort	Indicates a group of like instruments; the music written for it.
	Con spirito	With spirit.
	Countermelody	A vocal part which contrasts with the principal melody.
	Courante	A triple-time dance movement found frequently in the baroque dance suite; generally follows the allemande
	Crescendo ↑ Return to Top	Gradually rising in volume.
D
D	Decrescendo	Gradually lower in volume; synonymous with diminuendo.
	Delicato	Delicately.
	Diminuendo	Gradually lower in volume; synonymous with decrescendo.
	Dirge	A very slow piece that is usually performed at a funeral or memorial service.
	Divertimento	A divertimento is an instrumental composition intended for entertainment, usually in a number of movements.
	Divertissement	Indicates the additional dance entertainment that is often a part of classical ballet.
	Divisi	An indication of divided musical parts.
	Dolce	Sweetly; dolcissimo is very sweetly.
	Doloroso	Sadly; mournfully.
	Down beat	The first beat; given by the conductor with a downward stroke.
	Dynamics ↑ Return to Top	Varying degrees of loud and soft.
E
E	Elegy	A lament, either vocal or instrumental.
	Encore	To repeat a piece or play an additional piece at the end of a performance.
	Entr’acte	The music between acts of an opera or play.
	Espressivo	Expressively.
	Esuberante	Exuberant.
	Etude	Originally a study, intended for the technical practice of the player. Later, elevated the into a significant piece of music, no mere exercise.
	Exposition ↑ Return to Top	The first section of the movement, in which the principal thematic material is announced; in a fugue, the voices or parts enter one by one with the same subject: the exposition ends when all the voices have entered.
F
F	Fanfare	A prelude or opening; a flourish; usually played by brass instruments.
	Fermata	Hold; pause .
	Festivo, festoso	Festive; merry.
	Finale	The last movement of a symphony or sonata; the last selection of an opera.
	Fine	The end.
	(La) Follia	A well known dance tune popular from the 16th century or earlier and found in the work of composers.
	Forte	Loud
	Fortissimo	Very loud
	Fugue	A musical composition in which one or 2 themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices/instruments and developed in a continuous interweaving of the parts.
	Full score ↑ Return to Top	An instrumental score in which all the parts for the instruments appear on their own staves in standard instrumental family order.
G
G	Galliard	A courtly dance of the late 16th and early 17th century often found in instrumental compositions of the period, sometimes in suites.
	Gigue	The gigue became the accepted final dance in the baroque instrumental suite.
	Giocoso	Playful.
	Giubilante	Exultant; jubilant.
	Glissando	Used to describe sliding in music from one note to another.
	Grandioso	Grandiose; majestic.
	Grand pause	A rest for the entire ensemble.
	Grave	Slow; solemn.
	Grazia	Grace; Con grazia – with grace.
	Grazioso	Graceful.
	Gregorian Chant	The modal chant of early Christian and continuing Catholic worship and its derivatives
	Grosso ↑ Return to Top	Great; large.
H
H	Habanera	A Cuban dance from Havana, later introduced to Spain.
	Harmony	The sounding of two or more tones simultaneously; the vertical aspect of music.
	Hymn ↑ Return to Top	A song of praise.
I
I	Impressionism ↑ Return to Top	A musical movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspired by the French impressionist painters, the movement had its impetus in the music of Debussy and Ravel.
Sorry, we don’t have any J K
L
L	Lacrimoso	Tearful; mournful.
	Lament	Dirge; a slow mornful piece.
	Lamento	Mournful; sad.
	Landler	The Landler is an Austrian country dance in a slow triple metre, a precursor of the waltz.
	Langsam	Slow.
	Largamente	Broadly.
	Larghetto	Slower than largo.
	Largo	Very slow.
	Legato	Smooth; connected.
	Leggiero	Light; graceful.
	Lento	Slow; slightly faster than largo, slower than adagio.
	Liberamento	Freely.
	Lied	Indicates songs in the great German tradition of song-writing.
	Linear	Melodic; horizontal lines.
	L’istesso tempo	An instruction to the player to return to the previous speed of the music.
	Loure ↑ Return to Top	A French dance of the 17th and 18th centuries; it has been described as a slow gigue.
M
M	Madrigal	Originally a form of vocal composition of 14th century Italy; a favourite form of part-song, stemming first from Italy.
	Maestoso	Suggests a majestic manner of performance, either in mood or speed.
	Magnificat	The Magnificat is the canticle drawn from the biblical words attributed to the Mother of Christ
	Malaguena	A Spanish dance from the region of Málaga; later used to indicate a form of Spanish gypsy song.
	Mancando	Fading away
	Marcato	Emphasized; heavily accented.
	Mazurka	A Polish dance, transformed by Chopin in some fifty piano pieces in this form.
	Measure	A group of beats containing a primary accent and one or more secondary accents, indicated by the placement of bar lines on the staff; the space between two bar lines.
	Medesimo	The same.
	Medieval	The period prior to the Renaissance, c. 500 – 1450, marking the music of the early Christian church.
	Melodie	The French art- songs of the 19th and 20th centuries are known as mélodies
	Melody	In general, a succession of musical tones. It represents the linear or horizontal aspect of music.
	Meno	Less.
	Meno mosso	Less motion.
	Mesto	Sad
	Mezzo	Half; medium
	Mezzo forte	Medium loud.
	Mezzo piano	Medium soft.
	Middle Ages	European historical period between roughly A.D. 500 and 1450.
	Minuet	A triple metre French dance popular from the second half of the 17th until at least the end of the 18th century.
	Missa	Originally the Catholic Mass or Eucharist; later came to be used on occasion for settings that included only the first two parts of the ordinary of the Mass, the Kyrie and the Gloria.
	Misterioso	Mysteriously.
	Mit	With
	Moderato	Moderate speed.
	Modern	Music written in the 20th century; contempory music.
	Molto	Very; used with other terms, e.g. molto allegro.
	Morendo	Gradually decreasing in volume; fading away.
	Mosso	Rapid; meno mosso – less rapid; piu mosso – more rapid.
	Motive	A short melodic or rhythmic pattern.
	Motet	A choral composition for a church, without necessarily using text from the liturgy.
	Motif	A group of notes that has a recognisable thematic character
	Moto	Motion; con moto – with motion.
	Movement	A section of a larger piece that usually is in itself a complete work.
	Mute ↑ Return to Top	Usually an attachment used to dampen the sound of an instrument.
N
N	Nach	After (as “in the manner of”); behind.
	Nachtmusik	Night music; a serenade.
	Neoclassic	A musical style from the 20th century indicating the return to styles from earlier periods (e.g.romantic, baroque).
	Nocturne	A night-piece; music that evokes a nocturnal mood.
	Nonet	A composition for nine performers
	Non troppo	Not too much; used with other terms (e.g. non troppo allegro – not too fast)
	Note	The symbol which, when placed on a staff with a particular clef sign, indicates pitch.
	Nuance ↑ Return to Top	Subtle variations in tempo, phrasing, dynamics, etc., to enhance a musical performance.
O
O	Obbligato	Indicates an additional instrumental part that cannot be omitted.
	Octave	The eighth tone above a given pitch, with twice as many vibrations per second, or below a given pitch, with half as many vibrations.
	Octet	A piece for eight instruments or voices.
	Opera Bouffe/Buffe	A comic operetta
	Opera Seria	A serious opera governed by strict rules as to subject and structure.
	Operetta	A light opera.
	Opus/Op	Meaning work, is used by composers to show the chronological order of their works; however is not necessarily accurate.
	Oratorio	A work in which religious texts often with a narrative content are set for performance by singers and instruments.
	Orchestra	A large group of musicians made up of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments.
	Orchestration	The art of writing, arranging, or scoring for the orchestra.
	Ornaments	Melodic embellishments, either written or improvised.
	Ossia	“Or.” Indicating an alternative passage or version.
	Ostinato	A part that repeats the same rhythm or melodic element.
	Ottava	Octave.
	Ottava alta	An octave higher.
	Ottave bassa	An octave lower.
	Overtones	The almost inaudible higher tones which occur with the fundamental tone. They are the result of the vibration of small sections of a string (instrument) or a column of air. Other general terms for overtones are partials and harmonics.
	Overture ↑ Return to Top	An introductory piece, often designed to initiate an opera or other dramatic work.
P	Pacato	Indicates an additional instrumental part that cannot be omitted.
	Partita	Another word for suite.
	Passion	The 4 accounts of the suffering and death of Christ (from the Gospel)
	Pastorale	A musical expression of a genre familiar in European literature from Hellenistic times or earlier; suggesting a rural idyll.
	Pausa	A rest.
	Pavan	A stately duple metre dance of the 16th and early 17th centuries.
	Pensieroso	Contemplative; thoughtful.
	Pesante	Heavy.
	Petite	Little.
	Peu a peu	Little by little
	Pianissimo	Very soft.
	Pianississimo	Very, very soft; the softest common dynamic marking.
	Pitch	The pitch of a note is the frequency of its vibrations.
	Piu	More; e.g. piu mosso – more motion.
	Pizzicato	Pinched; plucking the strings of an instrument.
	Plainchant	The traditional monodic chant of the Catholic and Eastern Christian liturgies.
	Poco	Little; e.g. poco accel., poco a poco – little by little.
	Poi	Then or afterwards.
	Polacca	In the Polish manner.
	Polka	A Bohemian dance.
	Polonaise	A Polish dance in triple metre.
	Polyphony	The writing of music in many parts or in more than one part
	Postlude	“Play after;” the final piece in a multi-movement work; organ piece played at the end of a church service.
	Prelude	“Play before;” an introductory movement or piece.
	Premiere	First performance.
	Prestissimo	Very, very fast; the fastest tempo.
	Presto	Very quick.
	Primo	First.
	Principal	Instrumental section leader.
	Prologue	An introductory piece that presents the background for an opera.
	Psalm ↑ Return to Top	From the Book of Psalms in the Bible, sung to Plainchant.
	Q

	Quadrille	A popular ballroom dance in a brisk duple metre.
	Quartet	A piece for four performers.
	Quintet	A piece for five performers.
	Quodlibet ↑ Return to Top	A quodlibet is a light-hearted composition generally containing a combination of well known tunes.
	R

	Rallentando	Gradually slower; synonymous with ritardando.
	Range	The gamut of pitches, from low to high, which a singer may perform.
	Rapide	Rapidly.
	Refrain	A short section of repeated material which occurs at the end of each stanza.
	Renaissance	The period 1450 – 1600.
	Requiem	Mass for the Dead.
	Resonance	Reinforcement and intensification of sound by vibrations.
	Rhapsody	A work free in form and inspiration, often an expression of national temperament.
	Rigaudon	A French folk-dance
	Rinforzando	A reinforced accent.
	Risoluto	Resolute.
	Ritardando	Gradually slower; synonymous with rallentando.
	Ritenuto	Immediate reduction in tempo.
	Risoluto	Resolute.
	Ritmico	Rhythmically.
	Ritornello	A recurrent phrase or passage.
	Rococo	A light decorative French style
	Romanticism	Most commonly, a period or the predominant features of that period, from the early 19th century until the early 20th.
	Rondo	The use of a recurrent theme between a series of varied episodes, often used for the rapid final movement of a classical concerto or symphony.
	Round	Like the canon, a song in which two or more parts having the same melody, starting at different points; the parts may be repeated as desired.
	Rubato	A direction to allow a player a measure of freedom in performance.
	Ruhig	Quiet.
	Rustico ↑ Return to Top	Pastoral; rustic; rural.
	S

Saltarello	A rapid Italian dance in triple metre.
Sanft	Soft; gentle.
Sarabande	A slow dance in triple metre, generally found in the baroque instrumental suite.
Scale	A succession of tones. The scale generally used in Western music is the diatonic scale, consisting of whole and half steps in a specific order.
Scherzo	A light-hearted movement found from the early 17th century.
Schnell	Fast.
Score	The written depiction of all the parts of a musical ensemble with the parts stacked vertically and rhythmically aligned.
Secco	“Dry;” unornamented.
Section	A division of a musical composition.
Segno	Sign.
Sequidilla	A fairly quick triple-metre Spanish dance.
Sehr	Very.
Sehr leise beginnend	Very soft in the beginning.
Semi	Opera-Dramatic works of the later 17th century that combined spoken drama with a significant element of music.
Semitone	A half step; the smallest interval on the keyboard.
Sempre	Always; e.g. sempre staccato.
Semplice	Simple.
Senza	Without; e.g. senza crescendo.
Septet	A piece for seven performers.
Serenade	A piece for evening performance; suggests a piece of music in honour of someone or something.
Sereno	Serene; peaceful.
Sforzando	Sudden strong accent on a note or chord.
Sharp	A symbol which raises the pitch of a note one-half step.
Siciliana	A Sicilian shepherd dance or song.
Simile	An indication to continue in the same manner.
Sin’	Until.
Sinifonia	A passage or piece of instrumental music, sometimes an introductory piece, leading later to the Italian overture, known as the sinfonia before the opera, the origin of the Italian symphony.
Sinfonia Concertante	A concerto that uses two or more solo instruments.
Singspiel	A stage work that makes some use of spoken dialogue, even in a context of primarily musical interest.
Sinistra	Left hand.
Sino	Until.
Smorzando	Fading away.
Soave	Sweet; mild.
Sognando	Dreamily.
Solo	To perform alone or as the predominant part.
Sonata	Originally designated music that was to be played rather than sung.
Sonatina	A short sonata.
Sostenuto	Sustaining of tone or slackening of tempo; play smoothly.
Spiccato	On string instruments, a bowing technique wherein the bow is bounced on the string at moderate speed.
Staccato	Detached sounds, indicated by a dot over or under a note; the opposite of legato.
Stanza	A selection of a song, two or more lines long, characterized by a common meter, rhyme, and number of lines.
Stesso	Same.
Stretto	The device by which a second voice enters with the subject overlapping a first voice, rather than starting after the completion of the subject by the first voice; also a faster speed.
Subito	Suddenly.
Suite	An instrumental piece consisting of several shorter pieces.
Sul	Same.
Stesso	On the.
Sur	Same.
Svelto	Quick; light.
Symphony	A piece for large orchestra, usually in four movements, in which the first movement often is in sonata form. A large orchestra.
Syncopation ↑ Return to Top	Accent on an unexpected beat.
T
Tafelmusik	Music used to accompany banquets.
Tanto	Much; so much.
Tarantella	A folk- dance from the Southern Italian town of Taranto.
Te Deum	A canticle sung in thanksgiving and forming a part of the Divine Office, where it appears after Matins on Sundays and major feast days.
Tempo	The speed at which a piece of music is played.
Tempo primo	Return to the original tempo.
Teneramente	Tenderly.
Tenuto	Hold or sustain a note longer than the indicated value; usually not as long a duration as the fermata.
Ternary form	A tripartite musical structure; three part song form, in which the third part is an exact or modified repetition of the first.
Terraced dynamics	The Baroque style of using sudden changes in dynamic levels, as opposed to gradual increase and decrease in volume.
Theme	A complete tune or melody which is of fundamental importance in a piece of music.
Theory	The study of how music is put together.
Toccata	An instrumental piece, often designed to display the technical proficiency of a performer.
Tonality	The term used to describe the organization of the melodic and harmonic elements to give a feeling of a key center or a tonic pitch.
Tone	A note; the basis of music.
Tosto	Quick.
Tranquillo	Tranquilly; quietly; calm.
Tremolo	The quick repetition of a note, particularly in string-playing.
Troppo	Too much; e.g. allegro non troppo – not too fast.
Troubadour	Court poets and composers of Southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries..
Tutti ↑ Return to Top	All; a direction for the entire ensemble to sing or play simultaneously.
U
Una corda	Soft pedal.
Unison	Singing or playing the same notes by all singers or players, either at exactly the same pitch or in a different octave.
Un peu	A little; e.g. un peu piano.
Un poco	A little.
Upbeat ↑ Return to Top	One or more notes occurring before the first bar line, as necessitated by the text for the purpose of desirable accent; the unaccented beat of a measure.
V
Variation	The manipulation of a theme by the use of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic changes.
Verismo	Soft; gentle.
Vespers	The evening service of the Divine Office.
Vibrato	Repeated fluctuation of pitch.
Virtuoso	A brillant, skillful performer.
Vivace	Lively; brisk; quick; bright.
Vivo	Lively; bright.
Vocalise	A vocal work, whether an exercise or not, that has no words.
Volti subito ↑ Return to Top	Turn [the page] quickly.
W
Waltz ↑ Return to Top	A dance in triple time, became the most popular of all ball – room dances in the 19th century.
XYZ ↑ Return to Top	Sorry, we don’t have any XYZ.

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