Glossary of musical terminology

This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian (see also Italian musical terms used in English), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by "(Fr)" and "(Ger)", respectively. Others are from languages such as Latin and Spanish.

Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. The list can never be complete: some terms are common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from time to time. Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms here. For a list of terms used in jazz, country, rock, and other popular music genres, see the Glossary of jazz and popular musical terms.

A

a, à (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in the style of

a 2: see a due in this list

aber (Ger): but

a bene placito: up to the performer

a cappella: in the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental accompaniment

accarezzévole: expressive and caressing

accelerando, accel.: accelerating; gradually increasing the tempo

accent: Attack hard.

accentato: accented; with emphasis

acceso: ignited, on fire

acciaccatura: crushing; i.e., a very fast grace note that is "crushed" against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure

accompagnato: accompanied; i.e., with the accompaniment following the soloist, who may speed up or slow down at will

adagietto: rather slow

adagio: at ease; i.e., play slowly

adagissimo: very, very slow

ad libitum (commonly ad lib; Latin): at liberty; i.e., the speed and manner of execution are left to the performer

a due: intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; two instruments are to play in unison after a solo passage for one of the instruments

affannato, affannoso: anguished

affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect (that is, with emotion); see also con affetto

affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards

agile: swiftly

agitato: agitated

al, alla: to the, in the manner of (al before masculine nouns, alla before feminine)

alla breve: in cut-time; two beats per measure or the equivalent thereof

alla marcia: in the style of a march

allargando: broadening, becoming a little slower each time

allegretto: a little lively, moderately fast

allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo

allegrezza: cheerfulness, joyfulness

allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast

allegrissimo: very fast, though slower than presto

all' ottava: "at the octave", see ottava

als (Ger): than

alt (English) (also alt dom or altered dominant): a jazz term which instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist to perform a dominant (V7) chord with altered upper extensions (e.g., sharp 11th, flat 13th, etc.).

altissimo: very high

alto: high; often refers to a particular range of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano

alzate sordini: lift or raise the mutes; i.e., remove mutes

am Steg (Ger): at the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello in this list)

amabile: amiable, pleasant

amoroso: loving

anacrusis: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup

andante: at a walking pace; i.e., at a moderate tempo

andantino: slightly faster than andante (but earlier it is sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante)

a niente: to nothing; an indication to make a diminuendo which fades to pppp

a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it dies away (this only works with instruments which cannot sustain a note)

anima: feeling

animandosi: animated, lively

animato: animated, lively

antiphon: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical piece, similar to a refrain.

apaisé (Fr): calmed

a piacere: at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly, for example in a cadenza

appassionato: passionately

appoggiatura also called a "leaning note": one or more grace notes that take up some note value of the next full note.

a prima vista: Sight-read (lit. "at first sight"); i.e., (to be) played or sung from written notation but without prior review of the written material

: the bow used for playing some string instrument; i.e., played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction

arietta: a short aria

arioso: airy, or like an air (a melody); i.e., in the manner of an aria; melodious

armonioso: harmoniously

arpeggio: like a harp; i.e., the notes of the chords are to be played quickly one after another (usually ascending) instead of simultaneously. In music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chord whose notes cannot be played otherwise. Arpeggios are frequently used as an accompaniment. See also broken chord in this list.

arpeggiato: a way of playing a chord: starting with the lowest note, and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. Sometimes the effect is reversed, so that the highest note is played first.

assai: very

assez (Fr): enough, sufficiently

a tempo: in time; i.e., the performer should return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or ritardando, etc.); also may be found in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) or a tempo di menuetto (at the speed of a minuet)

attacca: attack or attach; go straight on; i.e., at the end of a movement, a direction to attach the next movement to the previous one, without a gap or pause

Ausdruck (Ger): expression

ausdrucksvoll (Ger): expressively

avec (Fr): with or with another

B

B: German for B flat (also in Finnish, Icelandic and Danish); H in German is B natural

barbaro: barbarous (notably used in Allegro barbaro by Béla Bartók)

Bartók pizzicato: a term which instructs string performers to play a pizzicato note to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that it snaps back percussively on the fingerboard.

bass: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought of as defining and supporting the harmony; in an orchestral context, the term usually refers to the double bass.

basso continuo: continuous bass; i.e., a bass part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the Baroque period

beat: (1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic accent

bellicoso: warlike, aggressive

ben or bene: well; in ben marcato ("well marked") for example

bend: jazz term referring either to establishing a pitch, sliding down half a step and returning to the original pitch or sliding up half a step from the original note.

beschleunigte (Ger): accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, at an accelerated tempo

bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed

binary: a musical form in two sections: AB

bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs the performer to hold a note or chord as long as they wish

bis (Lat): twice; i.e., repeat the relevant action or passage

bisbigliando: whispering; i.e., a special tremolo effect on the harp where a chord or note is rapidly repeated at a low volume

bocca chiusa: with closed mouth

bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly

breit (Ger): broad

bridge: Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, also transition. Also the part of a stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument.

brillante: brilliantly, with sparkle

brio: vigour; usually in con brio

brioso: vigorously (same as con brio)

broken chord: A chord in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less consistent sequence. They may follow singly one after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. See also arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass.

bruscamente: brusquely

C

cadenza: a solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, that is used to display the performer's technique, sometimes at considerable length

calando: falling away, or lowering; i.e., getting slower and quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo

calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly

cambiare: to change; i.e., any change, such as to a new instrument

canon or kanon (Ger): a theme that is repeated and imitated and built upon by other instruments with a time delay, creating a layered effect; see Pachelbel's Canon.

cantabile or cantando: in a singing style

capo:

#Capo: a key-changing device for guitars and banjos;

#head; i.e. the beginning (of a movement, normally).

capriccioso: capriciously, unpredictable, volatile

cédez (Fr): yield, give way

cesura or caesura (Latin form): break, stop; i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes nicknamed "railroad tracks" in reference to their appearance)

chiuso: closed; i.e., muted by hand (for a horn, or similar instrument; but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the feminine form, in this list)

coda: a tail; i.e., a closing section appended to a movement

codetta: a small coda, but usually applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to a whole movement

col, colla: with the (col before a masculine noun, colla before a feminine noun); (see next for example) colla parte: with the soloist; as an instruction in an orchestral score or part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo performer (usually for a short passage)

colla voce: with the voice; as an instruction in an choral music/opera score or orchestral part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo singer (usually for a short passage)

col legno: with the wood; i.e., the strings (for example, of a violin) are to be struck with the wood of the bow, making a percussive sound; also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood

coloratura: coloration; i.e., elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, or (especially) a soprano voice that is well-suited to such elaboration

colossale: tremendously

col pugno: with the fist; i.e., bang the piano with the fist

come prima: like the first (time); i.e., as before, typically referring to an earlier tempo

come sopra: as above; i.e., like the previous tempo (usually)

common time: the time signature 4/4: four beats per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. 4/4 is often written on the musical staff as . The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken circle; the full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4.

comodo (or, commonly but less correctly, commodo): comfortable; i.e., at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc.

con: with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amore (with tenderness); (see also col, colla, above)

con affetto: with affect (that is, with emotion)

con amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor: with love, tenderly

con anima: with feeling

con brio: with spirit, with vigour

con dolore: with sadness

con forza: with force

con (gran, molto) espressione: with (great, much) expression

con fuoco: with fire, in a fiery manner

con larghezza: with broadness; broadly

con moto: with motion

con slancio: with enthusiasm

'"con spirito"': with spirit; with feeling

con sordina, or con sordine (plural): with a mute, or with mutes; several orchestral instruments can have their tone muted with wood, rubber, metal, or plastic devices (for string instruments, mutes are clipped to the bridge, and for brass instruments, mutes are inserted in the bell); compare senza sordina in this list (which instructs the musicians to remove their mutes); see also Sordino. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music.

con sordino, or con sordini (plural) (incorrect Italian): see con sordina, above

con variazioni: with variations/changes

conjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line that moves by step (intervals of a 2nd) rather in disjunct motion (by leap).

contralto:

contrapuntalism: see counterpoint

coperti (plural of coperto, which may also be seen): covered; i.e., on a drum, muted with a cloth

crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo)

cuivré: brassy. Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to indicate a forced, rough tone. A note marked both stopped and loud will be cuivré automatically The plural is desunt and used when referring to several works.

delicatamente or delicato: delicately

detaché: act of playing notes separately

devoto: religiously

diminuendo, dim.: dwindling; i.e., with gradually decreasing volume (same as decrescendo)

disjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line which moves by leap (intervals of more than a 2nd) as opposed to conjunct motion (by step)

dissonante: dissonant

divisi or div.: divided; i.e., in a part in which several musicians normally play exactly the same notes they are instead to split the playing of the written simultaneous notes among themselves. It is most often used for string instruments, since with them another means of execution is often possible. (The return from divisi is marked unisono: see in this list.)

doit: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically upwards.

dolce: sweetly

dolcissimo: very sweetly

dolente: sorrowfully, plaintively

doloroso: sorrowfully, plaintively

doppio movimento: twice as fast

double stop: the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic percussion instrument or string instrument

downtempo: a slow, moody, or decreased tempo or played or done in such a tempo. It also refers to a genre of electronic music based on this (downtempo).

drammatico: dramatically

drop: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically downwards.

Dur (Ger): major; used in key signatures as, for example, A-Dur (A major), B-Dur (B major), or H-Dur (B major). (See also Moll (minor) in this list.)

duolo: (Ital) grief

dynamics: the relative volume in the execution of a piece of music

E

e (Ital): and

eco: the Italian word for "echo"; an effect in which a group of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different octave, to create an echo effect

ein wenig (Ger): a little

Empfindung (Ger): feeling

encore (Fr): again; i.e., perform the relevant passage once more

en dehors (Fr): prominently

energico: energetic, strong

enfatico: emphatically

en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward

en retenant (Fr): slowing

eroico: heroically

espirando: expiring; i.e., dying away

espressivo or espr.: expressively

estinto: extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as possible, lifeless, barely audible

etwas (Ger): somewhat

F

facile: easily, without fuss

fall: jazz term describing a note of definite pitch sliding downwards to another note of definite pitch.

falsetto: vocal register above the normal voice

fermata: finished, closed; i.e., a rest or note is to be held for a duration that is at the discretion of the performer or conductor (sometimes called bird's eye); a fermata at the end of a first or intermediate movement or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a symphony may be prolonged for twice its printed length or more for dramatic effect.

feroce: ferociously

feurig (Ger): fiery

festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory

fieramente: proudly

fill (English): a jazz or rock term which instructs performers to improvise a scalar passage or riff to "fill in" the brief time between lyrical phrases, the lines of melody, or between two sections

fine: the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end)

flat: a symbol () that lowers the pitch of a note by a semitone. The term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitone too low.

flebile: mournfully

focoso or fuocoso: fiery; i.e., passionately

forte or f (usually): strong; i.e., to be played or sung loudly

fortepiano or fp (usually): strong-gentle; i.e., 1. loud, then immediately soft (see dynamics), or 2. an early pianoforte

fortissimo or ff: very loud (see note at pianissimo in this list)

fortississimo or fff: as loud as possible

forza : musical force

forzando or fz: see sforzando in this list

freddo: cold(ly); hence depressive, unemotional

fresco: freshly

fröhlich: lively, joyfully

fugue (Fr), fuga (Latin and Italian): literally "flight"; hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. A short theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in others, with imitation and characteristic development as the piece progresses.

funebre: funeral; often seen as marcia funebre (funeral march), indicating a stately and plodding tempo.

fuoco: fire; con fuoco means with fire

furia: fury

furioso: furiously

G

G.P.: Grand Pause, General Pause; indicates to the performers that the entire ensemble has a rest of indeterminate length, often as a dramatic effect during a loud section

gaudioso: with joy

gemendo: groaningly

gentile: gently

geschwind (Ger): quickly

geteilt (Ger): See divisi

getragen (Ger): sustained

giocoso or gioioso: gaily

giusto: strictly, exactly, e.g. tempo giusto in strict time

glissando (simulated Italian): a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale executed while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). See glissando for further information; and compare portamento in this list.

grandioso: grandly

grave: slowly and seriously

grazioso: gracefully

gustoso: with happy emphasis and forcefulness

H

H: German for B natural; B in German means B flat

Hauptstimme (Ger): main voice, chief part; i.e., the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme

hemiola (English, from Greek): the imposition of a pattern of rhythm or articulation other than that implied by the time signature; specifically, in triple time (for example in 3/4) the imposition of a duple pattern (as if the time signature were, for example, 2/4). See Syncopation.

hervortretend (Ger): prominent, pronounced

Homophony: A musical texture with one voice (or melody line) accompanied by chords; also used as an adjective (homophonic). Compare with polyphony, in which several voices or melody lines are performed at the same time.

I

immer (Ger): always

imperioso: imperiously

impetuoso: impetuously

improvvisando: with improvisation

improvvisato: improvised, or as if improvised

in altissimo: in the highest; i.e., play or sing an octave higher

incalzando: getting faster and louder

insistendo: insistently, deliberate

in modo di: in the art of, in the style of

intimo: intimately

intro: opening section

irato: angrily

J

Jazz standard (or simply "standard"): a well-known composition from the jazz repertoire which is widely played and recorded.

K

keyboardist (Eng) : a musician who plays any instrument with a keyboard. In Classical music, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, pipe organ, harpsichord, and so on. In a jazz or popular music context, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, electric piano, synthesizer, Hammond organ, and so on.

kräftig (Ger): strongly

Klangfarbenmelodie (Ger): "tone-color-melody", distribution of pitch or melody among instruments, varying timbre

L

lacrimoso: tearfully; i.e., sadly

laissez vibrer, l.v. (Fr): allow the sound to continue, do not damp; used frequently in harp music, occasionally in piano or percussion. For percussion & electric guitar, "let ring" is more common. also an abbreviation for ritenuto

ritardando, ritard., rit.: slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando

ritenuto, riten., rit.: suddenly slower, held back (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, apply to a single note)

ritmico: rhythmical

ritornello : a recurring passage for orchestra in the first or final movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus).

rolled chord: see arpeggiato in this list

roulade (Fr): a rolling; i.e., a florid vocal phrase

rondo: a musical form in which a certain section returns repeatedly , interspersed with other sections: ABACA is a typical structure or ABACABA

rubato: robbed; i.e., flexible in tempo, applied to notes within a musical phrase for expressive effect

ruhig (Ger): peaceful

run: a rapid series of ascending or descending musical notes which are closely spaced in pitch forming a scale

ruvido: roughly

S

saltando: bouncing the bow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally means "jumping"

sanft (Ger): gently

scatenato: unchained, wildly

scherzando, scherzoso: playfully

scherzo: a light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally and usually in fast triple metre, often replacing the minuet in the later Classical period and the Romantic period, in symphonies, sonatas, string quartets and the like; in the 19th century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc.

schleppen (Ger): to drag; usually nicht schleppen ("don't drag"), paired with nicht eilen ("don't hurry") in Gustav Mahler's scores

schnell (Ger): fast

schneller (Ger): faster

schwungvoll (Ger): lively, swinging, bold, spirited

scordatura: out of tune; i.e., an alternative tuning used for the strings of a string instrument

secco, or sec (Fr): dry

segno: sign, usually Dal Segno (see above) "from the sign", indicating a return to the point marked by

segue: carry on to the next section without a pause

sehr (Ger): very

semitone: the smallest pitch difference between notes (in most Western music) (e.g., F–F#)

semplice: simply

sempre: always

senza: without

senza misura: without measure

senza sordina, or senza sordine (plural): without the mute; compare con sordina in this list; see also Sordino. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. In piano music (notably in Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata), senza sordini or senza sordina (or some variant) is sometimes used to mean keep the sustain pedal depressed, since the sustain pedal lifts the dampers off the strings, with the effect that all notes are sustained indefinitely.

serioso: seriously

sforzando or sfz: made loud; i.e., a sudden strong accent

shake: a jazz term describing a trill between one note and its minor third; or, with brass instruments, between a note and its next overblown harmonic.

sharp: a symbol () that raises the pitch of the note by a semitone. The term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitone too high in pitch.

short accent: Hit the note hard and short . (^)

si (Fr): seventh note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh solmization.

siciliana: a Sicilian dance in 12/8 or 6/8 meter

sign: see segno

silenzio: silence; i.e., without reverberations

simile: similarly; i.e., continue applying the preceding directive, whatever it was, to the following passage

sipario: curtain (stage)

slargando or slentando: becoming broader or slower (that is, becoming more largo or more lento)

smorzando or smorz.: extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreted as a drop in dynamics, and very often in tempo as well

soave: smoothly, gently

sopra: above

sognando: dreamily

solo break: a jazz term that instructs a lead player or rhythm section member to play an improvised solo cadenza for one or two measures (sometimes abbreviated as "break"), without any accompaniment. The solo part is often played in a rhythmically free manner, until the player performs a pickup or lead-in line, at which time the band recommences playing in the original tempo.

solenne: solemn

solo, plural soli: alone; i.e., executed by a single instrument or voice. The instruction soli requires more than one player or singer; in a jazz big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony.

sonata: a piece played as opposed to sung.

sonatina: a little sonata

sonatine: a little sonata, used in some countries instead of sonatina

sonore: sonorous

soprano: the highest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano)

sordina, sordine (plural): a mute, or a damper in the case of the piano. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms sordino and sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. See also con sordina, senza sordina, in this list.

sordino: see sordina, above

sospirando: sighing

sostenuto: sustained, lengthened

sotto voce: in an undertone i.e. quietly

spiccato: distinct, separated; i.e., a way of playing the violin and other bowed instruments by bouncing the bow on the string, giving a characteristic staccato effect

spinto

spiritoso: spiritedly

staccato: making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. In musical notation, a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates that it is to be articulated as staccato.

stanza: a verse of a song

stornello originally truly 'improvised' now taken as 'appearing to be improvised,' an Italian 'folk' song, the style of which used for example by Puccini in certain of his operas.

strepitoso: noisy

stretto: tight, narrow; i.e., faster or hastening ahead; also, a passage in a fugue in which the contrapuntal texture is denser, with close overlapping entries of the subject in different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative passages in other compositions

stringendo: tightening, narrowing; i.e., with a pressing forward or acceleration of the tempo (that is, becoming stretto, see preceding entry)

subito: suddenly (e.g., subito pp, which instructs the player to suddenly drop to pianissimo as an effect)

sul E: "on E", indicating a passage is to be played on the E string of a violin. Also seen: sul A, sul D, sul G, sul C, indicating a passage to be played on one of the other strings of a string instrument.

sul ponticello: on the bridge; i.e., in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic glassy sound, which emphasizes the higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental; the opposite of sul tasto

sul tasto: on the fingerboard; i.e., in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) over the fingerboard; the opposite of sul ponticello. Playing over the fingerboard produces a warmer, gentler tone.

sur la touche (Fr): sul tasto

syncopation: a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of downbeat rhythm with emphasis on the sub-division or up-beat, e.g. in Ragtime music.

T

tacet: silent; do not play

tempo: time; i.e., the overall speed of a piece of music

tempo di marcia: march tempo

tempo di sturb de neighbors seen in Fats Waller's arrangement of Stardust

tempo di valse: waltz tempo

tempo giusto: in strict time

tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo I (sometimes also written as tempo I° or tempo ^1ero): resume the original speed

tempo rubato, means "robbed time"; an expressive way of performing a rhythm; see rubato''

teneramente: tenderly

tenerezza: tenderness

tenor: the second lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano)

tenuto: held; i.e., touch on a note slightly longer than usual, but without generally altering the note's value

ternary: having three parts. In particular, referring to a three-part musical form with the parts represented by letters: ABA

tessitura: the 'best' or most comfortable pitch range, generally used to identify the most prominent / common vocal range within a piece of music

Tierce de Picardie: see Picardy third

timbre: the quality of a musical tone that distinguishes voices and instruments

time: in a jazz or rock score, after a rubato or rallentendo section, the term "time" indicates that performers should return to tempo (this is equivalent to the term "a tempo")

tranquillo: calmly, peacefully

tremolo: shaking; i.e., a rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation between two or more notes (often an octave on the piano). String players perform tremolo with the bow by rapidly moving the bow while the arm is tense. It can also be intended (inaccurately) to refer to vibrato, which is a slight undulation in pitch. It is notated by a strong diagonal bar across the note stem, or a detached bar for a set of notes (or stemless notes).

tre corde or tc (or sometimes inaccurately tre corda): three strings; i.e., release the soft pedal of the piano (see una corda)

triplet (shown with a horizontal bracket and a '3'): Three notes in the place of two, used to subdivide a beat.

troppo: too much; usually seen as non troppo, meaning moderately or, when combined with other terms, not too much, such as allegro [ma] non troppo (fast but not too fast)

tutti: all; all together, usually used in an orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or all of the voices come in at the same time, also seen in Baroque-era music where two instruments share the same copy of music, after one instrument has broken off to play a more advanced form: they both play together again at the point marked tutti. See also: ripieno.

U

un, uno, or una: one, as for example in the following entries

una corda: one string; i.e., in piano music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of, the sound. In some pianos, this literally results in the hammer striking one string rather than two or three. (For most notes on modern instruments, in fact it results in striking two rather than three strings.) Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; see in this list), is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released.

un poco: a little

unisono or unis (Fr): in unison; i.e., several players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. Often used to mark the return from divisi (see in this list). uptempo: a fast, lively, or increased tempo or played or done in such a tempo. It is also used as an umbrella term for a quick-paced electronic music style.

ut (Fr): first note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh solmization.

V

vamp till cue: a jazz, fusion, and musical theatre term which instructs rhythm section members to repeat and vary a short ostinato passage, riff, or "groove" until the band leader or conductor instructs them to move onto the next section

veloce: with velocity

velocissimo: as quickly as possible; usually applied to a cadenza-like passage or run

vibrato: vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note, used to give a richer sound and as a means of expression. Often confused with tremolo, which refers either to a similar variation in the volume of a note, or to rapid repetition of a single note.

vif (Fr): Quickly, lively

vittorioso: victoriously

virtuoso: (noun or adjective) performing with exceptional ability, technique, or artistry

vivo: lively

vivace: very lively, up-tempo

vivacissimo: very lively

vocal score or piano-vocal score: a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano

voce: voice

volante: flying

V.S. (volti subito): turn suddenly; i.e., turn the page quickly. While this indication is sometimes added by printers, it is more commonly indicated by orchestral members in pencil as a reminder to quickly turn to the next page.

W

wenig (Ger): a little, not much

wolno (Polish): loose, slowly; found as a directive in The Elephant from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns

Z

Zählzeit (Ger): beat

zart (Ger): tender

Zartheit (Ger): tenderness

zärtlich (Ger): tenderly

Zeichen (Ger): sign

Zeitmaß, also spelled Zeitmass (Ger): time-measure, i.e., tempo

zelo, zeloso, zelosamente: zeal, zealous, zealously

ziehen (Ger): to draw out

ziemlich (Ger): fairly, quite, pretty, or rather

zitternd (Ger): trembling; i.e., tremolando

zögernd (Ger): doubtful, delaying; i.e., rallentando

zurückhalten (Ger): held back

References

External links

Interpretations of Jazz Band Literature, musical terms used in jazz

British vs. American Musical Terms

Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary (contains audio samples)

Choral Conducting Terms

Classical musical terms

Free Music Dictionary

Musical Terms Dictionary Definitions and Meanings

Musical terminology