Italian Music Terms

• A, Alla, All’ ...To, according.
• Accelerando ...Becoming faster.
• Agitato ...Excited.
• Al fine ...To the end.
• Alla breve ...Cut time, quick duple.
• Allargando ...Getting broader, therefore slower.
• Amabile ...Lovingly.
• Amoroso ...Lovingly, warmly.
• Animado ...Becoming animated.
• Animato ...Animated.
• Appassionato ...Impassioned.
• Arco ...Bow.
• Assai ...Very much.
• A tempo ...Return to normal tempo.
• Attaca ...Begin without pause, attack suddenly.
• A una corda ...Play on one string only.
• Bravura ...Courage, boldness.
• Brio ...Spirit.
• Calmato ...Calm.
• Cantabile ...Singing.
• Cappricioso ...Capricious, whimsical.
• Coda, codetta ...Concluding section.
• Col, colla, coll’ ...With the.
• Coll’ Arco ...With the bow.
• Colla punta d’arco...With the point of the bow.
• Colla Voce ...With the voice.
• Col legno ...Strike the string with the stick of the bow.
• Colpo d’arco ...Stroke of the bow.
• Come ...As, like.
• Come prima ...As at first.
• Come sopra ...As above.
• Commodo ...Comfortable, easy, neither too fast nor too slow.
• Con ...With.
• Con afetto ...With tender emotion.
• Con amore ...Lovingly.
• Con anima ...With spirit.
• Con brio ...Vigorously.
• Concertante ...Eighteenth-century term for symphonies with one or more solo instruments.
• Concertino ...Diminutive of Concerto.
• Concerto ...A work for one or more solo instruments with instrumental accompaniment.
• Con fuoco ...With fire.
• Con sordino ...With the mute.
• Con spirito ...With spirit, lively.
• Continuo ...Bass part (harpsichord, cello or organ).
• Contra ...Against.
• Corda ...String.
• Corda, spora una ...Play on one string only.
• Crescendo ...Increasing volume.
• Da Capo (D.C.) ...From the beginning.
• Dal Segno (D.S.) ...From the sign.
• Deciso ...Decisively.
• Declamato ...Declamatory.
• Decrescendo ...Decrease in volume.
• Delicato ...Delicate.
• Di molto ..Extremely.
• (Allegro di molto.. extremely fast.)
• Divisi (div.) ..Divided.
• Dolce ..Sweetly, softly.
• Dolcissimo ..Very sweet.
• Dolente ..Sorrowfully.
• Dolore ..Sorrow.
• Doloroso ..Sorrowful.
• Dopo ..After.
• Doppio ..Double.
• Doppio movimento ...Double speed.
• Due ...Two.
• Due corde ...Same tone sounded on two strings.
• E, ed ...And.
• Equale ...Equal.
• Energico ...With vigor, energetically.
• Espressione ...Expression, feeling.
• Espressivo ...Expressively.
• Estinguendo ...Dying away.
• Facilmente ...Lightly, easily.
• Fermata ...Pause, sustain.
• Feroce ...Fierce.
• Fine ...End, close.
• Fino ...As far as.
• Flautando, flautato ...Flutelike effect achieved by bowing lightly over the fingerboard.
• Forte (f) ...Loud, strong.
• Forte-piano (fp) ...Loud, then immediately soft.
• Fortissimo (ff) ...Very loud.
• Forza ...Strength, vigor, force.
• Forzando, forzato (fz) ...Forced, accented.
• Fuoco ...Fire, force.
• Furioso ...Furious.
• Giocoso ...Playful, humorous.
• Glissando ...Rapid scale-like passage produced by a series of minute movements of the left hand.
• Gradatamente ...Gradually.
• Gran ...Large, much.
• Grandevole ...Pleasant, pleasing.
• Grandioso ...In an imposing manner.
• Grave ...Grave, solemn.
• Grazioso ...Gracefully.
• Gusto ...Style, zest.
• Inciso ...Incisive.
• In modo di ...In the manner of.
• Istesso ...Same.
• Lacrimoso ...Mournful.
• Lamentando, Lamentoso ...Lamenting.
• Lancio ...Vigor.
• Legato ...Smoothly, connectedly.
• Leggiero ...Light, graceful.
• Legno ...Wood.
• Liberemente ...Freely, at will.
• L’istesso tempo ...The same tempo.
• Lontanto ...Distant.
• Lungo ...Long.
• Ma ...But
• Maestoso ...Majestic.
• Maggiore ...Major.
• Magno ...Great.
• Man, mano ...Hand.
• Marcato ...Emphasized, stressed marked.
• Martellando, Martellato ...Hammered. Detached strokes at the point of the bow.
• Meno ...Less.
• Meno mosso ...Less quickly.
• Mesto ...Sad, mournful.
• Mezza, Mezzo ...Half, moderate.
• Minore ...Minor.
• Misterioso ...Mysterious.
• Modo ...Manner, style.
• Molto ...Very, much.
• Mosso ...Moved, lively.
• Morendo ...Dying.
• Moto ...Motion.
• Niente ...Nothing.
• Non ...Not.
• Nuovo ...New.
• O ...Or.
• Obbligato ...An independent accompanying part.
• Ondeggiando ...Undulating tremolo indicated by a wavy line over repeated notes.
• Ordinario ...Ordinary, normal.
• Ossia ...Or, alternative.
• Ottava ...Octave.
• Parte ...Part, voice.
• Per ...By, in order to.
• Perendosi ...Dying away.
• Pesante ...Heavy.
• Piacevole ...Agreeably.
• Pleno ...Full.
• Pochettino ...Very little.
• Poco ...Little.
• Poco a poco ...Little by little.
• Poi ...Later, then.
• Ponderoso ...Heavy, ponderous.
• Ponticello, sul ...Bow near the bridge producing a glassy tone.
• Portamento ...Carried over, smooth. Sliding between two pitches without distinguishing the intermediate tones.
• Portato ...Somewhat detached.
• Precipitando ...Impetuously.
• Preciso ...Precise.
• Pressante, Pressando ...Urgent, hurrying.
• Prima ...First.
• Punta, Punto ...Point.
• Quasi ...As if, almsot.
• Quieto ...Quiet, clam.
• Rallentando ...Becoming gradually slower.
• Ravvivando ...Quickening.
• Replica ...Repeat.
• Resoluto ...Resolutely.
• Rinforzando (rf., rfz.) ...Reinforced.
• Ripieno ...Full orchestra.
• Ripresa ...Repeat, recapitulation.
• Risoluto ...Resolute, determined.
• Ritard, ritardando ...Slowing gradually.
• Ritenuto ...Slowing immediately.
• Ritmico ...Rhythmically.
• Rubato ...Flexible tempo.
• Saltato, saltando ...Bouncing bow. A rapid staccato.
• Scala ...Scale.
• Scherzando ...Playful, joking.
• Secco ...Dry.
• Segno ...Sign.
• Segue ...Follow without pause.
• Semplice ...Simply.
• Sempre ...Always, continuously.
• Senza ...Without.
• Senza sordino ...Take off the mute.
• Sforzando, sforzato ...Suddenly accented, force.
• Simile, simili ...In a like manner.
• Sinfonia ...Symphony. Overture.
• Sinfonia concertante ...An orchestral work with one or more solo instruments.
• Sinfonietta ...A short symphony.
• Sopra ...Above.
• Sordino ...Mute.
• Sostenuto ...Sustained.
• Sotto ...Under, below.
• Sotto Voce ...In an undertone.
• Spiccato ...Clearly articulated. The bow is thrown on the string and rebounds or is lifted producing a very short tone.
• Spirito ...Spirit.
• Spiritoso ...Spirited.
• Staccato ...Detached, seperated.
• Stentando ...Holding back each note. Laboring.
• Steso ...Slow.
• Stesso ...Same.
• Stile ...Style.
• Strepitoso ...Noisy.
• Stretto ...Quickening of pace.
• Stringendo ...Accelerating the tempo.
• Su ...On, near.
• Subito ...Suddenly.
• Sul, sull, sulla ...On, at.
• Sul ponticello ...Bow near the bridge producing a glassy tone.
• Sul tasto, sulla tastiera ...Bow lightly over the fingerboard.
• Suono ...Sound.
• Tacet, tacent ...Silent.
• Tallone ...Frog.
• Al Tallone.. at the frog.
• Tanto ...Much, so much.
• Tasteria ...Fingerboard.
• Tardo ...Slow.
• Tempo ...Speed of the basic pulse.
• Teneramente ...Tenderly.
• Tenuto ...Sustained, held.
• Tirato ...Down-bow.
• Tosto ...Quick.
• Tranquillo ...Calm.
• Trattenuto ...Holding back with a sustained quality.
• Tremolo, tremolando ...Reiteration of the same tone by rapid alternation of the bow direction.
• Tristo ...Sad.
• Troppo ...Too much.
• Tutti ...All, everyone.
• Un poco ...A little.
• Veloce ...Fast.
• Via ...Away.
• Vibrato ...Minute fluctuations of pitch prodeced by oscillations of the left hand.
• Vigore ...Vigorous.
• Vivace ...Lively.
• Voce ...Voice.
• Volti ...Turn over (the page).
• Vuota ...Empty.
• (Corda vuota.. open string.)