Terms To Know Flashcards
Adagio
A slow tempo.
Allegretto
Fairly fast.
Andante
Moderately slow; at a walking pace.
Andantino
A little faster than andante.
Cantabile
In a singing style.
Con pedale, con ped.
With pedal.
Crescendo, cresc.
Becoming louder.
Da capo, D.C.
Repeat from the beginning.
Da capo al fine, D.C. al fine
Repeat from the beginning and end at fine.
Dal segno
From the sign.
Decrescendo, descresc.
Becoming softer.
Diminuendo, dim.
Becoming softer.
Dolce
Sweet, gentle.
Fermata
Pause; hold note or rest longer than written value.
Fine
The end.
Forte
Loud.
Fortissimo
Very loud.
Grazioso
Graceful.
Larghetto
Not as slow as largo.
Largo
Very slow and broad.
Legato
Smooth.
Lento
Slow.
Maestoso
Majestic.
Mano destra, M.D.
Right hand.
Mano sinistra, M.S.
Left hand.
Marcato, marc.
Marked or stressed.
Mezzo forte
Moderately loud.
Mezzo piano
Moderately soft.
Moderato
At a moderate tempo.
Ottava, 8va
The interval of an octave.
Pianissimo, pp
Very soft.
Piano, p
Soft.
Prestissimo
As fast as possible.
Presto
Very fast.
Rallentando, rall.
Slowing down.
Ritardando, rit.
Slowing down gradually.
Staccato
Sharply detached.
Tempo
Speed at which music is performed.
Tempo primo, Tempo I
Return to the original tempo.
Tenuto
Held, sustained.
A tempo
Return to the previous tempo.
