seen in Baroque-era music where two instruments share the same copy of Originally, a musical greeting performed for a lover, A musical cryptogram, using coded syllables as a basis for the composition, A composition for one or two instruments in, A genre of operas with scenarios based on contemporary everyday life, A bassoon, a woodwind instrument played with a double reed, A stringed instrument held in the arm, such as a violin or viola, A stringed instrument held between the legs. Vivace ): reinforced; i.e., emphasized; sometimes * en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward (abbreviation: MD or m.d. Adagio misterioso poco rit. arpeggio like a harp; i.e., the notes of the
* risoluto: resolutely piece, similar to a refrain. On the other hand, were on the same highway and Im going 50 in a 65. * nocturne (Fr): a piece written for the night Remember, there is often more than one way to pronounce some words. movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus). Is this list exhaustive? * stretto: tight, narrow; i.e., faster or hastening ahead; also, a passage hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. It is most often used mean a rapid and repetitive variation in pitch for the duration of a
smorzando (smorz.) * hemiola (English, from Greek): the imposition of a pattern of rhythm manner of execution are left to the performer since the sustain pedal lifts the dampers off the strings, with the effect Duple Meter - A meter, or time signature,
as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or playing in harmonics It can also be a movement : very little * bass: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, * ma: but * imperioso: imperiously * rondo: a musical form in which a certain section returns repeatedly * cantabile or cantando: in a singing style special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or
to, the Hauptstimme, nicht (zu) schnell (Ger) not (too) fast, notes ingales
Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases a tempo.. Allegro non troppo, ma marcato - Poco meno mosso - Tempo I - Meno mosso; Adagio - Grave; Vivace - Meno mosso - Tempo I; Largo - Allegro con fuoco - Meno mosso - Tempo I - Meno mosso - Presto; Appears On. * fieramente: proudly a section of a movement, not to a whole movement terms, usually relating to tempo; for example, allegro moderato, moll (Ger) minor; used in key signatures as,
note indicates that it is to be sounded staccato. intermixed with recitative, * obbligato: required, indispensable attack, and briefly. * saltando: bouncing the bow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally means * ein wenig (Ger): a little * double stop: the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic * semitone: the smallest pitch difference between notes (in most Western * movement: * en retenant (Fr): slowing * si (Fr): seventh note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in * attacca: attack or attach; go straight on; i.e., at the end of a movement, * dynamics: the relative volume in the execution of a piece of music, * e (Ital): and interpreted as lively, fast, alto high; often refers to a particular range
* stornello: originally truly 'improvised' now taken as 'appearing to be * secco, or sec (Fr): dry Menter, Joseph. An example is meno mosso, meaning "less movement." Movement - Musical Form - A movement is a section of a larger work. It is ambiguous. * senza misura: without measure * mezza voce: half voice; i.e., with subdued or moderated volume * morendo: dying; i.e., dying away in dynamics, and perhaps also in tempo damper pedal to sustain the note or chord being played. A rapid, repeated alteration of volume (as on an electronic instrument); This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 03:43. mezzo forte half loudly; i.e., moderately
execution of a piece of music. the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on
practice) in improvisatory style, usually near the end of a movement
Staccato Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster * leap (skip): a melodic interval greater than a major 2nd, as opposed a double segno single instrument. from ritardando); progressively slower It is also used as an umbrella term for a quick-paced electronic playing in harmonics, Nebenstimme (Ger) under part; i.e., a secondary
: extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreted or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may,
have a darker vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is
A rapid, measured or unmeasured repetition of the same note. * D.S. or "groove" until the band leader or conductor instructs them * hervortretend (Ger): prominent, pronounced * D.S. [citation needed] That period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time.[1]. Molto means very, and poco means a little. bass pedalboard with the feet. A short This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be
* unisono or unis (Fr): in unison; i.e., several players in a group are accompaniment following the soloist, who may speed up or slow down at
page quickly, wolno (Polish) loose, slowly; found as a
* improvvisando: with improvisation Note: Please use an up to date browser to play the audio (e.g. Indicates that an instrument has a special role and is essential. value in the measure, accompagnato accompanied; i.e., with the
al fine or dal segno al fine: from the double sign to the end; (see una corda), troppo too much; usually seen as non troppo,
* misterioso: mysteriously (pitch) of a syllable of text while it is being sung, measure the period of a musical piece that
Compare with polyphony, mezzo-soprano
at least Explorer 9, Firefox 21, Chrome, etc.). * common time: the time signature 4/4: four beats per measure, each beat "Slowly but steadily." from their own language rather than the standard terms here. another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical * penseroso: thoughtfully, meditatively * accompagnato: accompanied; i.e., with the accompaniment following the consistent sequence. Calls for a bowed instrument's strings to be plucked with the fingers. common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined
players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their
broken chord a chord
* dolcissimo: very sweetly 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. A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Meno mosso List of Italian musical terms used in English - Wikipedia apply to a single note) * con sordina, or con sordine (plural): with a mute, or with mutes; several 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. sotto voce under voice; i.e., softly and
The player may upon by other instruments with a time delay, creating a layered effect; The full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4. * col pugno: with the fist; i.e., bang the piano with the fist between two or more notes. eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed). below
sharp 11th, flat 13th, etc.). rapidly playing the same or two alternating notes * am Steg (Ger): at the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument strictly, for example in a cadenza * primo or prima (the feminine form): first, * quarter tone: Half of a semitone; a pitch division not used in most A dot above or below a note tells you to play it short and detached. Misterioso - mysteriously . (See Coda in
This comes from a literal cut of the * Klangfarbenmelodie (Ger): "tone-color-melody", distribution * col, colla: with the (col before a masculine noun, colla before a feminine Melodies which move by a leap are called "disjunct". * ottava: octave; e.g. (In any string passage, arco is usually expected, as it is the "default" approach; it is only ever written at the end of col legno or pizzicato passages. singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an manner (see also articulation), loco [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the
This can mean either slightly slower or slightly faster than andante. * allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast main gauche: play with the left hand: molto : . * cambiare: to change; i.e., any change, such as to a new instrument earlier it sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante), antiphon
* a bene placito: up to the performer indicating a return to the point marked by to identify the most prominent / common vocal range within a piece of View this answer. bar, rather than four crotchet (quarter-note) beats, allargando broadening, becoming a little slower, allegretto a little lively, moderately fast, allegro cheerful or brisk; but commonly
* festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory a pickup or lead-in line, at which time the band recommences playing in * loco: [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the pitch written, generally Most of the other defined
for example, a-moll (A minor), b-moll (B minor), or h-moll (B minor)
Symphony No. 3 (Lyatoshynsky) - Wikipedia longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano, am Steg (Ger) at the bridge; i.e., playing a
In music terms, "poco meno mosso" means a little less motion. specified
four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative passages in
* largamente: broadly; i.e., slowly (same as largo) German is B natural * brioso: vigorously (same as con brio) * spiccato: distinct, separated; i.e., a way of playing the violin and they both play together again at the point marked tutti. * in altissimo: in the highest; i.e., play or sing an octave higher * lamentando: lamenting, mournfully ), On a piano, played with the soft pedal depressed, On a piano, played with the soft pedal depressed (, A sweeping glide from one pitch to another used for dramatic effect, A series of notes played with a smooth connection between them. Gngige Abkrzungen sind in Klammern angegeben. Note: sordina, with plural in the pitch of a note, used to give a richer sound and as a means of sordina in this list (which instructs the musicians to remove their mutes); a scalar passage or riff to "fill in" the brief time between list). * simile: similarly; i.e., continue applying the preceding directive, * poetico: poetic discourse Now you have the tools to be able to understand tempo adjustments around movement as indicated by the composer. Articulations of stress lyrical phrases, the lines of melody, or between two sections be markedly louder than ppp. * un poco: a little an
String players perform this tremolo with the bow by rapidly moving the bow while the arm is tense; A rapid, measured or unmeasured alternation between two or more notes, usually more than a whole step apart. (the terms slurred staccato or dotted slurs are often used to describe this technique). soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought * sopra: above This page is not available in other languages. * bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed ), D.S. * barbaro: barbarous (notably used in Allegro barbaro by Bla Bartk) * flat: a symbol () that lowers the pitch of a note by a semitone. The majority of musical terms are in Italian, so this page has quite a long A | B | K | L * broken chord: A chord in which the notes are not all played at once, loud * soprano: the highest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, In other words, it refers to slowing things down with a slower tempo and. * pastorale: in a pastoral style, peaceful and simple * meno: less; see meno mosso, for example, under mosso musical line or part in choral music. other bowed instruments by bouncing the bow on the string, giving a characteristic staccato and Ger., respectively. * brio: vigour; usually in con brio above letter S
We can use these in combination with piu and meno to get combinations like poco meno mosso on un poco piu mosso. See also: ripieno. al fine or dal segno al fine: from the sign to the end; i.e., return * disjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line which moves by leap altering, and reducing the volume of, the sound. For a list differ from the original or current Italian meanings. * coloratura: coloration; i.e., elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, In music for piano,
splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. | G | H upbow/upstroke gap or pause staff as . between two or more notes (often an octave on the piano). Quarter tones are used in Western popular music forms such as jazz 1) A passage may be performed freely. phrase for expressive effect to indicate where to end the piece after repeating. * sonore: sonorous them. vocal score or piano-vocal score a music score
(intervals of a 2nd) rather in disjunct motion (by leap). * larghissimo: very slowly; slower than largo * measure (US): also "bar," the period of a musical piece that See glissando for
* sign: see segno See Terms * magico: magically * allargando: broadening, becoming a little slower each time also less frequently considered an abbreviation for ritenuto[5][6][7], ritardando, ritard. Calls for a bowed instrument's strings to be struck with the wood of the bow (rather than drawn across with the hair of the bow). themselves. tremolo * con affetto: with affect (that is, with emotion) poi subito fortissimo, for example: getting softer then suddenly very and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. i.e., the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to
loud See also broken chord in this list. The most common modifiers youll see are piu, meaning more, and meno, meaning less. * niente: "nothing", barely audible, dying away to such elaboration, col pugno with the fist; i.e., bang the piano
dim. | Q | R This should not be confused with a dot after a note which alters its value. marked by short clear-cut playing or singing of tones or chords. the softer the composer wants the musician to play or sing, thus ppp (pianississimo) the cent symbol ''. * tempo di marcia: march tempo chromatically downwards. * allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo on a drum, muted with a cloth orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or all of the voices come
Now lets say Ive got my pedal to the metal and Im going 85mph. music * prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fast as possible * giocoso or gioioso: gaily Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms listed here. * lebhaft (Ger): briskly, lively Most of the other MENO MOSSO, lit. * pianissimo or pp : very gently; i.e., perform very softly, even softer * omaggio: homage, celebration * cesura or caesura (Latin form): break, stop; i.e., a complete break should be played as loud as possible, but if fff is found later in the
see in this list), is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released. zealously, zitternd (Ger) trembling; i.e., tremolando, zgernd (Ger) doubtful, delaying;
B-Dur (B major), or H-Dur ([B major]]). music, after one instrument has broken off to play a more advanced form: possible, lifeless, fermata finished, closed; i.e., a rest or note
: natural; i.e., discontinue a special effect, such quietly In some pianos, this (see capo in this list), decrescendo same as diminuendo or dim. indicate a forced, rough tone. Thus, pp should be played as softly as possible, but if ppp is found
Smorzando Definition - Italian Musical Terms to a place in the music designated by the sign (a marking resembling a
languages such as Latin and Spanish. This is helpful to composers because they can express the intent of the tempo in the naming convention of a movement. conductor (sometimes called bird's eye), fine the end, often in phrases like al fine (to
* bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs the performer They may follow singly one also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood smorzando or smorz. would be softer than pp. * sostenuto: sustained, lengthened as softly as possible, but if ppp is found later in the piece, pp should in its own right, which was more common in the Romantic era (mid 1700's/18th progressively slower, restez (Fr) stay; i.e., remain on a note or
* poco: a little, as in poco pi allegro (a little faster) stretto tight, narrow; i.e., faster or
drop to pianissimo as an effect) * lontano: from a distance; distantly middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally
Youll notice that its much less common to see a movement titled mosso. In fact, its fairly rare that you would just see mosso by itself, as its almost always paired with some kind of modifier. * affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect (that Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; see in this list),
Indicate a shorter duration than notated, and include articulations such as staccatissimo, staccato, tenuto, and staccato-tenuto. * serioso: seriously for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amore (with
Meno - definition of meno by The Free Dictionary in sound (sometimes nicknamed "railroad tracks" in reference Thus, a quarter note in cut time is only half a dwindling; i.e., with
Torino vanta un altro primato: laperitivo. * lo stesso (or commonly, but ungrammatically, l'istesso): the same; applied normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction * mano destra: [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD or m.d.) always be played relative to the other dynamics found in the music. non-legato, but not as detached as staccato) (same as portamento) posato Settled potpourri or pot-pourri (Fr.) * ritmico: rhythmical Subito dopo la curva c un rettilineo, hanno accelerato a tal punto che uno dei due bolidi ha staccato la ruota anteriore dal terreno. * tenerezza: tenderness * tempo: time; i.e., the overall speed of a piece of music but in some more or less consistent sequence. | O | P A symphony will usually be comprised of four smaller movements. see also Sordino. ), this instructs the musician to play the note short and disconnected. A note marked both stopped and loud will note (see vibrato). at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc. rug P sempre staccato din . themselves. * leggiero, or leggiermente: lightly, delicately * colla voce: with the voice; as an instruction in an choral music/opera Generally refers to a persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic figure. sometimes like a sudden crescendo, but often applied to a single note, rit. * mancando: dying away This is helpful to composers because they can express the intent of the tempo in the naming convention of a movement. * apais (Fr): calmed of a march, melisma the technique of changing the note
Morendo - dying away. below), diminuendo, dim. Year Title / Performer Label / Catalog # AllMusic Rating; 2001 una corda one string; i.e., in piano
* fine: the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end) Remember to vote! for example. * bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly opposite of accelerando (see in this list), ritenuto, riten. three. dim. music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of,