Performance Directions Flashcards
Aber
But
A
At, to, by, in the style of
A cappella
Unaccompanied vocal work
Accelerando
Gradually getting faster
Adagietto
Rather slow, but after than adagio
Adagio
Slow. Between andante and largo
A deux/ a due
For two performers or instruments
Ad libitum/ ad lib
At choice. Passage can be omitted from score if chosen
Affettuoso
Tenderly
Affretunado
Hurrying
Agitato
Agitated
Al/ alla
In the manner of
À la pointe
For string players to use the point of their bow
Alla breve
With a minum beat, makes notes faster than suggested
Alla marcia
In the style of a march
Allargando
Broadening: getting slower an louder
Allegretto
Slower than allegro but still fairly quick
Allegro
Quick
Als
Than
Alt
High, used in vocal music for music above the treble stave
Al tallone/ am frosch/ au talon
With the heel of the bow
Amabile
Pleasantly
Amore/ amour
Love
Amoroso
Loving
Andante
Walking pace
Andantino
Slightly faster than andante
An der spitze
With the point
Anima
Soul, spirited
Animando
Becoming more lively
Animato/ animé
Animated/ lively
Apaisé
Calmed
A piacere
At pleasure, meaning that the performer is not bound to follow the set rhythm rigidly
Appassionato
With passion
A punto d’arco
With the pointe
Arco
Bow (after pizzicato)
Assai
Very, extremely
Assez
Quite
A tempo
Back to original tempo
Attacca
Go straight on, immediate move to the next section of music
Audstruck
Expression
Avec
With
Ben/ benne
Well, very
Bestimmt
With decision, definite
Bewegt
Agitated, with movement
Bis
Twice
Bravura
Skill/ brilliance
Breit
Broad, expansive
Brilliante
Brilliant
Brio
Vigour, animation
Calando
Dying away
Calmato
Calm, tranquil
Cantabile
In a singing style
Cantando
Singing
Capriccioso/ capticieux
In a whimsical fanciful style
Cédez
Yield, relax the speed
Col/ coll’/ colla/ colle
With/ with the
Colla parte
Keep with the soloist
Colla voce
Keep with the singer
Col legno
With the wood of the bow
Coll’ ottava
With the octave (for keyboard players)
Come/ comme
As/ similar to
Come prima
As before
Come sopra
As above
Comodo
Convenient
Con
With
Corda/ corde
String/ strings
Crescendo
Gradually getting louder
Da
From
Da capo DC
From the beginning
Dal segno DS
From the sign
Dämpfer
Mute
Decrescendo
Gradually getting softer
Delicato
Delicate
Détaché
Detached (bowing for strings)
Diminuendo
Gradually getting softer
Divisi
Divide into two or more groups
Doch
However, yet
Dolce
Sweet, soft
Dolente
Sad, mournful
Dolore
Grief
Doppio movimento
Twice as fast
Douce/ doux
Soft, sweet
Duolo
Grief
E, ed
And
Égal, eguale
Equal
Ein
A
Einfach
Simple
Empfindung
Emotion, feeling
Emporté
Fiery, ambitious
En animant
Becoming more lively
En céant
Yielding
En dehors
Make the melody prominent
Energico
Energetic
Enlevez
Take up, take off, a direction for pedal or mute
En mesure
In time
En pressant
Hurrying on
En retenant
Holding back
En serrant
Becoming quicker
Expressione
Expression
Expressivo
Expressive
Estinto
As soft as possible, lifeless
Et
And
Etwas
Somewhat, rather
F
Forte
Facile
Easy
Felice
Happy
Feroce
Fierce
Feurig
Fiery
Fine/ fin
End
Flatterzunge
Flutter tounge
Flautato/ flautando
Flute like, a direction for natural harmonics on string instruments
Flessibile
Flexible (not a strict tempo)
Fliessend
Flowing
Flottant
Floating
Forte/ f
Loud
Fortepiano/ fp
Loud then immediately soft
Forza
Force
Frei
Free
Fretta
Haste
Frisch
Vigorous
Fröhlich
Cheerful, joyful
Fuoco
Fire
Furioso
Furious, frenzied
Gebunden
Joiner
Gehend
At a steady speed
Gesangvoll
In a singing style
Geschwind
Quickly
Giocoso
Playful/ humerous
Giojoso
Joyful/ merry
Giusto
Proper, exact
Glissando
Slide many notes between 2
GP
Indication to individual performers that all are silent
Gravieux
Graceful
Grandioso
Grandly
Grave
Very slow, solemn
Grazioso
Graceful
Immer
Always
Impetuoso
Impetuous
Incalzando
Getting quicker
Innig
Heartfelt, sincere
Inquieto
Restless
In relievo
Prominent (make the melody stand out)
Joyeux
Joyful
Kräftig
Strong
Lacrimoso/ lagrimando
Sad
Lamentoso
Lamenting
Langsam
Slow
Largamente
Broadly
Larghetto
Rather slow, but slightly faster than largo
Largo
Slow, stately
Lebhaft
Lively, equivalent to vivace
Legato
Smooth
Légèrement/ leggiero/ leicht
Light, nimble
Leid
Grief, pain
Leidenschaft
Passion
Leise
Soft, gentle
Lent/ lento
Slow
Liberamente/ librement
Freely
Licenza
Licence, freedom
Lieblich
Lovely
L’istesso
The same
Loco
Same pitch (used after 8ve passage)
Lointain/ lontano
Distant
Lourd
Heavy, equivalent to pesante
Lugubre
Mournful
Lungs
Long
Lusingando
Coaxing in a sweet style
Lustig
Cheerful
Ma
But
Maestoso
Majestic
Main
Hand
Mais
But
Mano
Hand
Mancado
Fading away
Marcato
Emphatic, accented
Martelé/ martellato
Strongly accented (usually string for a type of bowing, but can be used for other instruments too)
Marziale
In a military style
Mässig
At a moderate speed
Meno
Less
Mesto
Sad
Mezza/ mezzo
Half
Misterioso
Mysterious
Misura
Measure
Mit
With
Moderato/ modéré
At a moderate speed
Moins
Less
Molto
Very, much
Morendo
Dying away
Mosso
With motion, animated
Moto, movimento
Movement, motion
Mouvement/ mouvt
Movement/ motion
Munter
Lively
Muta
Change
Nach und nach
Gradually
Naturals
In the ordinary way
Nicht
Not
Niente
Nothing
Nobilmente
Nobly
Noch
Still, yet
Non
Not
Nuovo
New
Obbligato
Obligatory
Ohme
Without
Ossia
Alternatively
Ostinato
Repeated rhythm of phrase
Ottava
Octave
Parlando
Sing in a conversational style
Patetico
With deep feeling
Pausa
A pausa
Pedal
With pedal
Per
For, by, although, to
Pesante
Heavy
Peu
Little
Piacevole
Pleasant
Piangevole
Pleasant
Piano
Quiet
Pietoso/ pietosamente
Tenderly
Più
More
Pizzicato
Plucking the strings of an instrument
Placido
Calm, peaceful
Plus
More
Pochettino
Rather little
Pochissimo
Very little
Poco
Little, slightly
Poi
Then
Ponticello
Bridge (on a string instrument)
Portamento
Slide from one note to the next (strings or trombone)
Possibile
Possible
Precipitando/ precipitato/ precipitoso
Rushing/ headlong
Presser/ pressez
Hurry
Presto
Fast (faster than allegro)
Primo/ prima
First
Quasi
As if, like, resembling
Ralentir
Slacken, slow down
Rallentando
Gradually slowing down
Rasch
Quick
Repetizione/ replica
Repetition
Retenu
Held back
Rigoroso
Struck
Rinforzando
Reinforcing
Risoluto
Bold, strong
Ritardando
Gradually getting slower
Ritenuto
Held back
Ritmico
Rhythmically
Rubato
With some freedom of time
Ruhig
Peaceful
Saltando/ saltato/ sautillé
Springinly, a light bouncing bow technique for strings
Sans
Without
Scherzando/ scherzoso
Playful, joking
Schnell
Fast
Schwach
Weak
Sec/ secco
Crisp, suppress the sound as quickly as possible
Seconda/ secondo
Second
Segue
Go straight on
Sehr
Very
Semplice
Simple, plain
Sempre
Always
Senza
Without
Seul
Alone
Serrer/ serrez
Hurry, quicken
Sf/ sforzando/ sforzato/ sfz
Accented, forced
Simile
Continue in the same way
Sino/sin’
Until, up to
Slargando/ slentando
Getting slower
Slancio
Enthusiasm, impetus
Smorzando
Dying away in tone and speed
Soave
Gentle, smooth
Solenne
Solemn, grave
Sonoramente/ sonore/ sonoro
Resonant, with rich tone
Sopra
Above, on (for keyboard players to place one hand over the other)
Sordino
Mute
Sospirando
Sighing
Sostenuto
Sustained
Sotto
Below, for keyboard players to place one hand below the other
Sotto voce
In an undertone
Sourdine
Mute
Sous
Under
Spiccato
Detached, a bouncing technique for strings
Spiritoso
Spirited
Staccato
Short, detached
Stark
Strong
Strepitoso
Noisy, boisterous
Stretto
Quickening the speed OR fugue like entries
Stringendo
Gradually getting faster
Subito
Suddenly
Sul/ sulla
On the
Süss
Sweet
Tacet
When a part doesn’t play in a particular section
Tanto
So much
Tasto
Fingerboard of a string instrument or keyboard of a keyboard instrument
Tempo
Speed
Teneramente
Tenderly
Tenerezza
Tenderness
Tunuto
Held
Tosto
Swift, rapid
Tranquillo
Calm
Traurig
Sad
Tre
Three
Tremolando/ temolo
Trembling on the strings
Très
Very
Trionfale
Triumphant
Tristanente/ triste
Sad
Troppo
Too much
Tutti
Everyone
Un/ una/ uno
One
Und
And
Unisono
In unison, a direction to cancel divisi
Veloce
Swift
Vibrato
Vibrating
Viel
Much
Vif
Lively
Vigoroso
Vigorous, strong
Vite
Quick
Vivace/ vivement/ vivo
Lively, quick
Voce/ voix
Voice
Volante
Flying, fast
Voll
Full
Volta
Time
Volti subito
Turn at once
Vorgetragen
Brought out, prominent
Wenig
Little
Wieder
Again
Zart
Tender, delicate
Ziemlich
Moderately
Zu
To, too
