Terms Flashcards
Gradually growing faster
Accelerando (Accel.) or Stringendo (String.)
Choral music generally without accompaniment; literally - in the style of the chapel
A cappella
Emphasis or stress on one tone over others
Accent
At pleasure; at will
Ad libitum (Ad lib.) or A placere
Indicating 2/2 time or “cut time”; literally - on the breve (half note)
Alla Breve
Growing broader, that is, louder and slower
Allargando
Animated; excited; with life and spirit
Animato
Return to the original tempo
A tempo
Great technical skill, virtuosity
Bravura
A break in the music
Caesura
Any singing (lyric) style
Cantabile
A section added at the end of a composition or passage as a conclusion
Coda
A prefix meaning “with”
Con
With animation
Con anima
With force
Con forza
With spirit, lively
Con spirito
Increase in volume
Crescendo
To return and perform from the beginning
Da capo (D.C.)
To return and perform from the sign
Del segno (D.S.)
Becoming softer
Decrescendo
Gradually become softer
Diminuendo
Pertaining to the notes of a major or minor scale
Diatonic
A relation or state of tension between various tones
Dissonance
To divide; as into parts
Divisi
sweetly
Dolce
lower the tone one full step
Double flat
Raise the tone one full step
Double sharp
The level (amplitude) or loudness of sound
Dynamics
very soft
Pianissimo (pp)
soft
Piano (p)
medium soft
Mezzo piano (mp)
medium loud
Mezzo forte (f)
loud
Forte (f)
very loud
Fortissimo (ff)
Meaning “and”
e, et, ed
A different spelling of the same pitch or chord
Enharmonic
With expression, with feeling
Espressivo
A sign that indicates the note or rest over which it is placed is to be prolonged
Fermata
The end
Fine
Forced, a strong accent
Forzando (fz)
The distance or relation between two pitches
Interval
A grouping of accidentals placed at the beginning of a composition or section to indicate key
Key signature
No sharps
C Major
1 sharp
G Major
2 sharps
D major
3 sharps
A major
4 sharps
E major
5 sharps
B major
6 sharps
F# major
7 sharps
C# major
No flats
C major
1 flat
F major
2 flats
Bb major
3 flats
Eb major
4 flats
Ab major
5 flats
Db major
6 flats
Gb major
7 flats
Cb major
Smooth and connected
Legato
At the same tempo
L’istesso tempo
Majestic, with dignity
Maestoso
Marked, emphasized
Marcato
Use of many notes on one syllable of text
Melisma
A prefix meaning “less”
Meno
Less motion
Meno mosso
A change of key within a composition
Modulation
Much, very
Molto
Dying away
Morendo
Motion, movement
Mosso, moto
Nothing
Niente
Not
Non
Melodic decoration
Ornament
Alternate version of a set of notes
Ossia
With fervent emotion or passion
Passione
A natural division of the melodic line with a cadence; comparable to a clause or sentence
Phrase
More
Piu
Little by little
Poco a poco
As if, almost
Quasi
Becoming slower
Rallentando (Rall.)
Becoming slower
Ritardando (Rit.)
Free use of accelerando and ritardando within a measure without altering the duration of the measure as a whole
Rubato
Without
Sans
Playfully
Scherzando
Always
Sempre
Without
Senza
Repetition of a set of notes at a different scale degree
Sequence
Forced or accented
Sforzando or Sforzato (sf or sfz)
In a similar manner
Simile
Softly, with a subdued voice, literally “under the voice”
Sotto voce
Detatched
Staccato
Suddenly
Subito
To be silent
Tacet
The pace at which a composition is to be performed; rate of speed
Tempo
very, very slow
Grave
very slow
Largo
less slow than largo
Larghetto
slow
Adagio
moderately slow
Lento
moderate; walking tempo
Andante
less slow than andante
Andantino
medium tempo
Moderato
less fast than allegro
Allegretto
fast
Allegro
very fast and lively
Vivace, Vivo
extremely fast
Presto
as fast as possible
Prestissimo
Hold or sustain
Tenuto
The location of the majority of pitches in a composition or section
Tessitura
Tone color
Timbre
A symbol indicating the type of meter and the unit of beat
Time Signature
All notes in a scale related to one central tone
Tonality
Tranquil, peaceful
Tranquillo
All
Tutti
Voices on the same pitch or mixed voices in octaves
Unison
