| Term | Definition |
|---|
| a cappella | "In the manner of the chapel". Music sung without instrumental accompaniment |
| a tempo | return to the original tempo after some deviation |
| accelerando | becoming faster |
| accidentals | symbol used to raise or lower a given pitch by 1 or 2 semi-tones, or to cancel a previous sign or part of a key signature |
| adagio | slow, leisurely tempo |
| al fine | to the end, generally used after a repetition |
| alla breve | a tempo marking indicating quick double time; i.e. 2/2 instead of 4/4 with the half note rather than the quarter note as the beat |
| allegretto | slightly slower than allegro, often implying lighter texture and character as well |
| allegro | fast |
| allegro con spirito | fast tempo with spirit |
| amabile | sweet, loveable |
| ancora meno mosso | once more, but a little slower |
| andante | rather slow, at a moderate walking pace |
| aria | a self-contained composition for solo voice, usually with instrumental accompaniment and usually found within the context of an opera, oratorio or cantata |
| arpeggio | the notes of a chord played in succession to one another, rather than simultaneously; a broken chord |
| atonal | music that lacks a tonal center; absence of key |
| augmented | raised or enlarged. Generally refers to the raising of a pitch by one half-step |
| ballad | a strophic, narrative song |
| berceuse | a lullaby |
| cadenza | an improvised or written-out ornamental passage performed by a soloist usually near the final cadence |
| cantabile | singable; singing |
| chorale | a congregational song or hymn of the German Protestant Church, originally for the entire congregation to sing |
| chord | 3 or more pitches sounded simultaneously or functioning as if sounded simultaneously |
| chromatic | motion by half steps; also describes harmony or melody that employs some of the sequential 12 pitches (semi-tones) in an octave |
| common time | 4/4 meter, denoted C |
| crescendo | increasing loudness |
| D.C. or Da Capo | repeat from the beginning of the composition |
| D.S. or dal segno | repeat from the sign |
| decrescendo | decreasing loudness |
| diminished | lowered, or reduced; generally refers to the lowering of a pitch chromatically by one half step |
| dolce | sweetly, usually also softly |
| dynamics | the degrees of loudness in a musical work |
| embellishment | ornamentation added to music to make it more beautiful or effective, or to demonstrate the abilities of the performer |
| fermata | a pause or hold |
| fine | the end |
| flat | the symbol which indicates the lowering of a given pitch by one half-step |
| forte (f ) | loud |
| grave | grave, solemn |
| half-step | a semi-tone. There are 12 half-steps in an octave. |
| harmony | any collection of pitches as they sound simultaneously, or when pitches are in agreement |
| head voice | the higher register of the singing voice |
| interval | the relationship between two pitches, the distance between an upper and a lower pitch |
| key | the pitch relationships that establish a tonal center |
| key signature | sharps or flats at the beginning of each staff to indicate which pitches are to be raised or lowered from their natural state during the piece |
| largo | very slow and broad |
| leading tone | the seventh degree of the diatonic scale, when it is only a half-step below the tonic, gives the feeling of wanting to move up a half-step to the tonic |
| leap | melodic motion from one pitch to another that is more than a whole tone away |
| ledger lines | lines written above or below the staff representing a continuation of the staff, used to indicate pitches above or below the staff |
| legato | smoothly, with no separation between notes |
| leggiero (leggero) | light (soft) |
| lunga | a long pause that is determined by the performer (director) |
| major scale | a diatonic scale where the half-steps fall between the third and fourth, and the seventh and octave |
| marcato | marked, stressed |
| motif | a short musical idea or melodic theme, usually shorter than a musical phrase |
| natural | a note that is not affected by either a sharp or a flat, a natural sign cancels a previous sharp or flat |
| notation | any means of writing down music, usually indicating pitch, duration, timbre and loudness |
| octave | an interval eight diatonic scale degrees above it. Two notes an octave apart have the same letter name, and form the most consonant interval possible. |
| phrase | a single musical idea or element which is often defined by a repeated rhythmic pattern or a melodic contour |
| pianissimo (pp) | very soft |
| piano (p) | soft |
| portamento | special manner of singing where the voice glides from one tone to the next through all the intermediate pitches |
| poco a poco | little by little |
| prestissimo | as fast as possible |
| presto | very fast, faster than allegro |
| primo | first or upper part |
| rallentando (rall.) | slowing down; the same as ritardando |
| ritardando (rit.) | slowing down gradually |
| rubato | making the established pulse flexible by accelerating and slowing down the tempo, an expressive device |
| sempre | always |
| sforzando (sf or sfz) | strongly accented, forced |
| sharp | the sign that indicates the raising of a given pitch by one half-step |
| simile (sim.) | continue to perform in a similar manner |
| sotto voce | softly; with subdued sound; performed in an undertone |
| staccato (stacc.) | detached, crisply played |
| strophic | describes a song where the stanzas are all sung to the same music |
| subito | suddenly, quickly |
| tenuto (ten.) | fully sustained, occasionally even a bit longer than the note value requires |
| time signature | the sign placed at the beginning of a composition to indicate its meter |
| tonic | the key center, the foundation of a scale or melody. |
| vivace | lively, briskly |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace