Italian Terms (Grade 4) Flashcards
Tempo commodo
at a comfortable speed
Tempo giusto
at a consistent speed
Lā istesso tempo
at the same speed
Non troppo
not too much
Grave
slow and solemn
Rumato
with some freedom in the time
Stringendo
pressing on faster
Perdendosi
fading away
Smorzando
dying away
Rinforzando
reinforcing the tone
Pesante
heavily
Cantando
in a singing style
Tenuto
held
Piacevole
pleasant, agreeable
Portamento
a smooth gliding from one note to another (as in singing or string playing)
Dolente/Doloroso
sadly, plaintively
Sotto voce
softly in an undertone
Giocoso
gay, merry
Grazioso
gracefully
Assai
very
Quasi
as if, as it were
Scherzando
playfully
Subito
suddenly
Sul polticello
bow on or near the bridge
Sul tasto
bow on or near the finger board
Tremolo
bowing very rapidly to produce a shimmering or wavering effect
Pizzicato
pluck the string with the finger
Arco
with the bow (used after a pizz. sign)
Counterpoint
a compositional technique in which two or more independent melodies are combined
Cotrapuntal
the adjective used to describe music which combines two or more independent melodies (counterpoint)
Chromatic
- two notes a semitone apart with the same letter name
- a series of 12 notes moving in semitones
Diatonic
an interval or scale in which each note has a different letter name
