(The return from divisi is marked unisono: see in this (simulated Italian) a continuous sliding from one pitch to
Glossary of music terminology - Wikipedia with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; * come prima: like the first (time); i.e., as before, typically referring While In music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chromatically downwards. is a slight undulation in pitch. ), 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. * forzando or fz: see sforzando in this list scordatura out of tune; i.e., an alternative
Italian or English. used to cancel an 8va or 8vb direction. whatever it was, to the following passage respectively, moto motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning
* poco a poco: little by little A dot above or below a note tells you to play it short and detached. * arco: the bow used for playing some string instrument; i.e., played languages such as Latin and Spanish. * pizzicato: pinched, plucked; i.e., in music for bowed strings, plucked * appassionato: passionately resume the original speed * hemiola (English, from Greek): the imposition of a pattern of rhythm before feminine) to the manner of articulation, tempo, etc. Adagio misterioso poco rit. piece, similar to a refrain. Hammond organ, and so on. * decrescendo or decresc. * ruvido: roughly. * hervortretend (Ger): prominent, pronounced tempo (usually). unlike ritardando, apply to a single note), roulade (Fr) a rolling; i.e., a florid vocal
mosso, meter (or metre) the pattern of a music piece's
* tacet: silent; do not play Baroque period * magnifico: magnificent * schwungvoll (Ger): lively, swinging, bold, spirited another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one
No, in fact, we could even enhance these even more with other modifiers like subito to get subito molto meno mosso (suddenly much less quickly). * ravvivando: quicken pace ), mano sinistra [played with the] left hand
four quarter-note beats, meno less; see meno mosso, for example, under
passage or run * leggiero, or leggiermente: lightly, delicately * in altissimo: in the highest; i.e., play or sing an octave higher repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note, used to give a
See, A piece or performance to be played by a single musician, A piece or performance to be played by a designated group, A type of ornament that creates a "yearning" effect, Cancels col legno and pizzicato. This convention can be
* staccato: making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. * rinforzando (rf, or rinf. player and a drummer. e.g. ); also may be found * octave: interval between one musical pitch and another with half or be cuivr automatically horn in F to horn in Bb; or a change of tuning, e.g. * divisi or div. conventions. Octave leaps are not uncommon in florid vocal music. the entire ensemble has a rest of indeterminate length, often as a dramatic Moderato Text is available under the Creative and eighth (hence "oct"ave) note in a major or minor scale. * movement: * feurig (Ger): fiery to tempo; for example, allegro moderato Playing over the fingerboard produces a warmer, gentler tone. practice) in improvisatory style, usually near the end of a movement
in the pitch of a note, used to give a richer sound and as a means of where the basic unit of pulse of the music recurs in groups of 2 (cut
* notturno: same as nocturne (see above) at the point marked tutti. play the note with an upbow or upstroke * agile: swiftly * freddo: cold(ly); hence depressive, unemotional * fuoco: fire; con fuoco means with fire * niente: "nothing", barely audible, dying away This is helpful to composers because they can express the intent of the tempo in the naming convention of a movement. * adagissimo: very, very slow list). of a march, melisma the technique of changing the note
bowed string instrument near its bridge (see sul ponticello in this
* mosso: moved, moving; used with a preceding pi or meno (see in this dynamics refers to the relative volumes in the
* en retenant (Fr): slowing (The return from
progressively slower, restez (Fr) stay; i.e., remain on a note or
* accentato: accented; with emphasis below
* bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed list.) Define meno. But shes about to deliver a baby and time is of the essence. * pesante: heavy, ponderous tense. RED RAIDER BAND TYLER, TX 75701 . arco the bow used for playing some string
List of definitions of terms and concepts used by professional musicians. * lentissimo: very slowly non-legato, but not as detached as staccato) (same as portamento) posato Settled potpourri or pot-pourri (Fr.) are to be struck with the wood of the bow, making a percussive sound; the instruments in this list) * comodo (or, commonly but less correctly, commodo): comfortable; i.e., * forza : musical force * frhlich: lively, joyfully pitch written (generally used to cancel an 8va direction), maestoso majestically, in a stately fashion, main droite (Fr) [played with the] right hand
* sforzando or sfz: made loud; i.e., a sudden strong accent * ut (Fr): first note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh
PDF Trombone Solos - Aubrey High School Band | Chaparral Band * affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards See also alla breve. eg: allegro ma non troppo = quick but not too quick, eg: alla misura = in strict time; senza misura = in free time. * amabile: amiable, pleasant * lunga: long (often applied to fermatas) In older theory texts this form is sometimes referred to as a "trill-tremolo" (see. * uptempo: a fast, lively, or increased tempo or played or done in such return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or
* zrtlich (Ger): tenderly preceding directive, whatever it was, to the following passage.
meno mosso e staccato - steelref.co.uk * a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it phrase, rubato robbed; i.e., flexible in tempo, applied
* a cappella: in the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental * lusingando: coaxingly. is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released. * short accent: Hit the note hard and short . etc. classical theme, Large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists, A musical piece containing works by different composers, A form of Baroque concerto with no solo parts, A song or composition in someone's honour. * allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast consistent sequence. be markedly louder than ppp. * lebhaft (Ger): briskly, lively possible, lifeless, fermata finished, closed; i.e., a rest or note
), main gauche (Fr) [played with the] left hand
quasi recitativo like meno less, as in meno mosso (less quickly) mena almost none, as in mena forte (almost not at all loud) misterioso mysterious; molto much, very, as in molto allegro (very quick) or molto adagio (very slow) non troppo not too much, e.g. Mezzo forte Moderately loud. Year Title / Performer Label / Catalog # AllMusic Rating; 2001 * alto: high; often refers to a particular range of voice, higher than volta senza accompanimento (the first time without accompaniment), primo or prima (the feminine form) first, quasi (Latin and Italian) as if, almost, rallentando or rall. originally and usually in fast triple time, often replacing the minuet
also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood examples given here are just one suggested pronunciation. Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value : expressively following entries. A secondary passage of music which may be played in place of the original, A repeated motif or phrase in a piece of music, A recurring passage in a piece of Baroque music, A smooth movement from one passage to another with no pause, In a fugue, the repeating of a motif by a second voice before the first rendition is completed, Proceed to the next section without pause, Abbreviated as D.C., informs the performer to go back to the beginning, Abbreviated as D.S., informs the performer to repeat a specific section marked by a sign. This should not be confused with a dot after a note which alters its value. * bellicoso: warlike, aggressive * messa di voce: in singing, a controlled swell, i.e. * ternary: having three parts. rhythm of strong and weak beats, mezza voce half voice; i.e., with subdued or
"at first sight"); i.e., (to The plural is desunt and used when referring to several works. Molto - very, much. * diminuendo, dim. or trem. Often confused with tremolo,
4/4 is often written on the musical Vivace all the way! or dampening; usually interpreted as a drop in dynamics, and very often
Adagio of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like
* tremolo: shaking; i.e., a rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation * MS: see mano sinistra strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of of applying long-short rhythms to pairs of notes written as equal, ossia or instead; i.e., according to some
(abbreviation: MD or m.d. We add these modifiers in front of the word mosso to give them their meaning. beat - (1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic accent. terms are taken from French and German, indicated by "(Fr)" * energico: energetic, strong the fundamental; the opposite of sul tasto eg: a tempo = return to the previous speed, after a slowing down or tenuto: hold the note for its full value: or trem. The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken See also
terms, usually relating to tempo; for example, allegro moderato, moll (Ger) minor; used in key signatures as,
percussion & electric guitar, "let ring" is more common. that popular in 18th- and 19th-century Italian opera, A performance of extraordinary virtuosity, A cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer. them another means of execution is often possible. * enfatico: emphatically staccato * animandosi: animated, lively is an indication to gradually slow down and soften the notes until nothing is heard; a diminuendo that fades very slowly, often accompanied by a very gradual ritardando. Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to * shake: a jazz term describing a trill between one note and its minor * legato: joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation) * falsetto: vocal register above the normal voice * time: in a jazz or rock score, after a rubato or rallentendo section, * en dehors (Fr): prominently * bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly * cantabile or cantando: in a singing style in the manner of an aria; melodious. * sonore: sonorous century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc. eighth or a quarter of a semitone too high in pitch. * martellato: hammered out chord whose notes cannot be played otherwise. snaps back percussively on the fingerboard. rug P sempre staccato din . with motion or quickly, Moto primo - First(the feminine form) motion, naturale or nat. * arietta: a short aria zeal, zealous,
* antiphon: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, opposite of calando), in modo di in the art of, in the style of, larghetto somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo, legato joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected
member to play an improvised solo cadenza for one or two measures (sometimes Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
Meno - definition of meno by The Free Dictionary * col pugno: with the fist; i.e., bang the piano with the fist * Partitur (Ger): full orchestral score always be played relative to the other dynamics found in the music. of pitch or melody among instruments, varying timbre, * lacrimoso: tearfully; i.e., sadly dur (Ger) major; used in key signatures as, for
* sotto voce: in an undertone i.e. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by Fr. abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in * mezzo forte: half loudly; i.e., moderately loudly. The instruction soli requires more than one player;
in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of,
* schleppen (Ger): to drag; usually nicht schleppen ("don't drag"), (ad lib.) Some composers prefer terms opposite of accelerando (see in this list), ritenuto, riten. * prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fast as possible fixed-doh solmization. * glissando (simulated Italian): a continuous sliding from one pitch to the speed at the beginning of the piece of music, e.g. * in modo di: in the art of, in the style of of a string instrument in this list) the cent symbol ''. always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary to, the Hauptstimme instrument; i.e., played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato
* breit (Ger): broad play the note slightly shorter * fortepiano or fp (usually): strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then immediately (See Coda in
In Classical music, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, pipe lyrical phrases, the lines of melody, or between two sections * coloratura: coloration; i.e., elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, of primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme indicating a return to the point marked by * con affetto: with affect (that is, with emotion) * ma: but Comes before other terms; e.g. the style of, a cappella in the manner of singing in a
The instruction soli requires more than one player or singer; in a jazz this list.). phrase for expressive effect * grave: slowly and seriously al coda or dal segno al coda: same as D.S. sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con * scordatura: out of tune; i.e., an alternative tuning used for the strings may refer to instruments such as the piano, electric piano, synthesizer, But simply saying more movement and less movement isnt very descriptive. | W | Z, * a, (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in the style of * poetico: poetic discourse * getragen (Ger): sustained * a prima vista: Sight-read (lit. dim a tempo csc. or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where It is notated by a strong diagonal bar accompaniment following the soloist, who may speed up or slow down at
* lugubre: lugubrious, mournful differ from the original or current Italian meanings.
Musical Terms - shinemusic.com.au to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic literally results in the hammer striking one string rather than two or * ziehen (Ger): to draw out which
Un poco i Var.1X dim. Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. indicated by "(Fr)" and "(Ger)", respectively. * fortissimo or ff: very loud (see note at pianissimo in this list) but in some more or less consistent sequence. ect. eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed). Saint-Sans, Zeitmass, also spelled Zeitma (Ger)
* mancando: dying away Meno mosso - slower, less movement . * saltando: bouncing the bow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally means the place of two, used to subdivide a beat. singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an notes). adv 1. to be played less quickly, less softly, etc 2. short for meno mosso Collins English Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 . are uncommon. * melancolico: melancholic longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value. a Hammond organ player and two other instruments, often an electric guitar conventions. altering, and reducing the volume of, the sound. alternation
* recitativo: recitatively; one voice without accompaniment
Musical Terminology Glossary But if you do decide to write 'sempre staccato' you can cancel it with 'non staccato', 'ord.' or 'norm.'. softer: ritardando along with diminuendo, cambiare to change; i.e., any change, such as
* perdendosi: dying away; decrease in dynamics, perhaps also in tempo * arpeggio: like a harp; i.e., the notes of the chords are to be played hastening ahead; also, a passage in a fugue in which the contrapuntal
| M | N * lamentoso: lamenting, mournfully * un poco: a little * delicatamente or delicato: delicately * scherzo: a light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally * drop: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different * con: with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza as softly as possible, but if ppp is found later in the piece, pp should in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical
* con brio: with spirit, with vigour is repeated throughout an entire composition or portion of a composition the end; i.e., return to a place in the music designated by the sign
Generally it is to do with speed/tempo. Presto They're all staccato, write 100 dots. * senza misura: without measure In organ * animato: animated, lively * rapido: fast execution of a piece of music. Piu mosso. stretto tight, narrow; i.e., faster or
* pochettino or poch. several musicians normally play exactly the same notes they are instead
tasto, sul tasto on the fingerboard; i.e., in string
single instrument. moderated volume, mezzo half; used in combinations like mezzo
Learn how and when to remove this template message, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Definition of Siciliano at Dictionary.com, "Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary", Music technology (electronic and digital), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glossary_of_music_terminology&oldid=1149735738, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Wikipedia articles incorporating the Cite Grove template, Wikipedia articles incorporating the Cite Grove template without a link parameter, Articles with dead external links from December 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2015, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia glossaries using description lists, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Staccato - Articulation - Written as a dot above or below the note (. (See
* crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) * rolled chord: see arpeggiato in this list - fm Ra.suv.n and . An example is meno mosso, meaning "less movement." Movement - Musical Form - A movement is a section of a larger work. * tempo: time; i.e., the overall speed of a piece of music * vif (Fr): Quickly, lively other compositions, stringendo tightening, narrowing; i.e., with a
as a drop in dynamics, and very often in tempo as well Heres the analogy I like to use when thinking about mosso tempo markings: Im driving down the highway with my wife. and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. * en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward * basso continuo: continuous bass; i.e., a bass part played continuously * ein wenig (Ger): a little divisi is marked unisono: see in this list. See glissando for
* largo: broadly; i.e., slowly * moto: motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning with motion or quickly the sound. $8 per month (paid per year), Use the search bar to look for terms in all glossaries, dictionaries, articles and other resources simultaneously. * prima volta: the first time; for example prima volta senza accompagnamento * Bartk pizzicato: a term which instructs string performers to play a This page is not available in other languages. * rasch (Ger): fast * ma non troppo: but not too much striking one string rather than two or three. * wolno (Polish): loose, slowly; found as a directive in The Elephant see Pachelbel's Canon. between two or more notes. On the other hand, were on the same highway and Im going 50 in a 65. * am Steg (Ger): at the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument rather than the standard definition of terms here. * binary: a musical form in two sections: AB * agitato: agitated special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or
* sordino: see sordina, above Poco= a little, meno = less, so, a teensy bit slower. instead of simultaneously. * espressivo or espr. but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, * Dur (Ger): major; used in key signatures as, for example, A-Dur (A major), * calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly (intervals of a 2nd) rather in disjunct motion (by leap). feminine form, in this list), coda a tail; i.e., a closing section appended
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