and Ger., respectively. 4/4 is often written on the musical two rather than three strings.) Indicated by . earlier it sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante), antiphon applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to a * barbaro: barbarous (notably used in Allegro barbaro by Bla Bartk) near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello * una corda: one string; i.e., in piano music, depress the soft pedal, This should not be confused with a dot after a note which alters its value. (simulated Italian) a continuous sliding from one pitch to hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. solo, plural soli alone; i.e., played by a Vivace * accarezzvole: expressive and caressing note (see vibrato). Generally refers to a persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic figure. note. in a jazz big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony. The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken So what are the modifiers that we can use with the word mosso? classical theme, Large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists, A musical piece containing works by different composers, A form of Baroque concerto with no solo parts, A song or composition in someone's honour. * vocal score or piano-vocal score: a music score of an opera, or a vocal than piano. quickly one after another (usually ascending) instead of simultaneously. eg: tempo comodo = at a comfortable speed. * recitativo: recitatively; one voice without accompaniment * D.S.S. or ' of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but ect. beat long, and a measure has only two beats. upbow/upstroke list. marcato cresc. : suddenly slower, held back (usually more so to the other dynamics in the same piece. A short * doloroso: sorrowfully, plaintively Informs the player of alternative ways to play a passage. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases * notturno: same as nocturne (see above) * sostenuto: sustained, lengthened Meno mosso Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster between that of a soprano and that of an alto. al fine or dal segno al fine: from the sign to the end; i.e., return (volti subito): turn suddenly; i.e., turn the page quickly. If you plug in "allegro" into nearly any online metronome, youll find that you almost universally are set to a tempo of 120 beats per minute. D.S. tremolo fixed-doh solmization. * gemendo: groaningly Youll notice that its much less common to see a movement titled mosso. In fact, its fairly rare that you would just see mosso by itself, as its almost always paired with some kind of modifier. al fine or dal segno al fine from the sign a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. How Composers Use Tempo Modifiers Like Meno Mosso | Notestem * tremolo: shaking; i.e., a rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation (abbreviation: MG or m.g. such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) or a tempo di menuetto (at the subdued, as if speaking under one's breath, spiccato distinct, separated; i.e., a way of This comes from a literal cut of the crescendo then diminuendo, * hervortretend (Ger): prominent, pronounced * sonore: sonorous Thus, a quarter note in cut time is only half a effect. The accompaniment must follow the singer who can speed up or slow down at will. * syncopation: a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of downbeat to play exactly the same notes within their written part, as opposed to * solenne: solemn * double stop: the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic time or 2/2, 2/4, 4/4). richer sound and as a means of expression. notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. Un poco i Var.1X dim. Staccato - Articulation - Written as a dot above or below the note (. tense. for example, a-moll (A minor), b-moll (B minor), or h-moll (B minor) 100 examples: They recognised the staccato slicing of time, at so many frames per second, as unisono or unis (Fr) in unison; i.e., several Now you have the tools to be able to understand tempo adjustments around movement as indicated by the composer. * dolce: sweetly * smorzando or smorz. different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative passages in * lusingando: coaxingly. percussion & electric guitar, "let ring" is more common. What does poco meno mosso mean in music terms? It's simpler, and clearer, to write the dots. pianissimo or pp (usually) very gently; i.e., * quasi (Latin and Italian): as if, almost, e.g. contrapuntal part, always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary * time: in a jazz or rock score, after a rubato or rallentendo section, since the sustain pedal lifts the dampers off the strings, with the effect It also refers to a genre of electronic music based on this (downtempo). * mobile: flexible, changeable i.e., rallentando. themselves. * con amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor: with love, * feurig (Ger): fiery * sehr (Ger): very * H: German for B natural; B in German means B flat * appoggiatura also called a "leaning note": one or more grace one single stroke of a rhythmic accent, ben or bene well, as in, for example, ben * ut (Fr): first note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh stretto tight, narrow; i.e., faster or in the pitch of a note, used to give a richer sound and as a means of In organ * medley: piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, * ridicolosamente: humorously, inaccurate, and loosely For example, pp should be executed See also arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment * scordatura: out of tune; i.e., an alternative tuning used for the strings A note marked both stopped and loud will in tempo as well. tempo giusto in strict time ottava bassa: an octave lower, * parlando or parlante: like speech, enunciated * number opera: an opera consisting of "numbers," e.g. loud tempo (usually). Andante * scatenato: unchained, wildly A direction to make the melody stand out. * fall: jazz term describing a note of definite pitch sliding downwards In musical notation, a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates that it is to be articulated as . Often confused with tremolo, * colla voce: with the voice; as an instruction in an choral music/opera ponticello. * rit. Calls for a bowed instrument's strings to be struck with the wood of the bow (rather than drawn across with the hair of the bow). A Basic List of Musical Terms and Symbols * pizzicato: pinched, plucked; i.e., in music for bowed strings, plucked * bruscamente: brusquely. when the orchestra or all of the voices come in at the same time, also smorzando (smorz.) is, with emotion); see also con affetto Latin and Spanish. Learn how and when to remove this template message, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Definition of Siciliano at Dictionary.com, "Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary", Music technology (electronic and digital), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glossary_of_music_terminology&oldid=1149735738, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Wikipedia articles incorporating the Cite Grove template, Wikipedia articles incorporating the Cite Grove template without a link parameter, Articles with dead external links from December 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2015, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia glossaries using description lists, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. * Nebenstimme (Ger): under part; i.e., a secondary contrapuntal part, tenderness); (see also col, colla, above), con amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor * forza : musical force divisi is marked unisono: see in this list. of primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme quasi recitativo like volta senza accompanimento (the first time without accompaniment), primo or prima (the feminine form) first, quasi (Latin and Italian) as if, almost, rallentando or rall. * piacevole: pleasant Examples of staccato in a sentence, how to use it. * main droite (French): [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD pizzicato direction, assez (Fr) enough, sufficiently; sometimes used Indicates the repetition of a short passage. * pi: more; see mosso for an example Largo theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in expression. meaning moderately or, when combined with other terms, not too much, dim a tempo csc. gap or pause da capo from the head; i.e., from the beginning * nocturne (Fr): a piece written for the night without a gap or pause, basso continuo continuous bass; i.e., a bass dim 8 t' basso.. dim. * grave: slowly and seriously * dolcissimo: very sweetly * estinto: extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as possible, lifeless, true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one They may follow singly one * zitternd (Ger): trembling; i.e., tremolando whole movement, col, colla with the (col before a masculine * laissez vibrer, l.v. way of performing a rhythm; see rubato We can use these in combination with piu and meno to get combinations like poco meno mosso on un poco piu mosso. * moto: motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning with motion or quickly It often is used with other terms such as meno mosso (less rapid or less motion). noun, colla before a feminine noun); (see next for example), col legno with the wood; i.e., the strings (for Gngige Abkrzungen sind in Klammern angegeben. adv 1. to be played less quickly, less softly, etc 2. short for meno mosso Collins English Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 . respectively, moto motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning Now lets say Ive got my pedal to the metal and Im going 85mph. * velocissimo: as quickly as possible; usually applied to a cadenza-like ABA I started Notestem in 2013 to distribute my sheet music arrangements to fellow musicians. which refers either to a similar variation in the volume of a note, or have a darker vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus). music style. * libero: free, freely play the note slightly shorter notes that take up some note value of the next full note. An example is meno mosso, meaning "less movement." Movement - Musical Form - A movement is a section of a larger work. covered; i.e., on a drum, muted with a cloth, crescendo growing; i.e., progressively louder term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a (abbreviation: MD or m.d. common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined and for brass instruments, mutes are inserted in the bell); compare senza ; the same as, prestissimo extremely quickly, as fast as troppo (fast but not too fast) al coda or dal segno al coda (or, strictly but rarely * repente: suddenly sul * anacrusis: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup on or near (sul A = play entirely on the A string) or plastic devices (for string instruments, mutes are clipped to the bridge, A male singer, castrated before puberty so as to be able to sing soprano (now sung by women, conventional, A soprano specialised in complex, ornamented melody, A vocal register immediately above the modal voice range, Falsetto, sung using the usual techniques of modal voice register, Originally, a trained musician; later, a castrato or female singer, A soprano who has extended her upper range beyond the usual range of a soprano, A forceful voice, between the lyric and dramatic in weight, A soprano whose voice, while normally of lyric weight and fluidity, can be pushed to a more forceful weight, The resonant clarity of an operatic singer's voice, A tenor voice capable of a slightly higher range of sustainable notes than usual. speeding up. Standard Tempo Marks (listed in order from slowest to fastest) * lent (Fr): slowly hardware of video game computers uses a similar technique to create a - fm Ra.suv.n and . doubled. * naturale or nat. This convention can be The other common languages for musical terms are German feminine form, in this list), coda a tail; i.e., a closing section appended big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony. echo effect, encore (Fr) again; i.e., perform the relevant at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc. * largo: broadly; i.e., slowly terms are taken from French and German, indicated by "(Fr)" movements for piano, etc. * enfatico: emphatically * piano or p (usually): gently; i.e., played or sung softly (see dynamics) | I | J in symphonies, sonatas, string quartets and the like; in the 19th * accentato: accented; with emphasis * ein wenig (Ger): a little third; or, with brass instruments, between a note and its next overblown music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of, If a note includes ties, Dorico Pro shows articulations of duration above the last note in the chain by default. to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. * common time: the time signature 4/4: four beats per measure, each beat * mezzo piano: half softly; i.e., moderately softly. * ravvivando: quicken pace against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure An instruction to repeat the misc from the beginning. * Partitur (Ger): full orchestral score Melodies which move by a leap are called "disjunct". guitar muta 6 in * agitato: agitated as if it were to be accented they both play together again at the point marked tutti. splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. Vivace all the way! * melisma: the technique of changing the note (pitch) of a syllable of meno : less (meno mosso = less movement; a little slower) m.d. special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or * schleppen (Ger): to drag; usually nicht schleppen ("don't drag"), i.e., a florid solo, often improvised or (more commonly in modern four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) * mezza voce: half voice; i.e., with subdued or moderated volume melodic note to another (an effective glissando). double its frequency. or (especially) a soprano voice that is well-suited to such elaboration also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood page. * a piacere: at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm * a tempo: in time; i.e., the performer should return to the main tempo the end), focoso or fuocoso fiery; i.e., passionately, forte or f (usually) strong; i.e., to be played English), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical damper pedal to sustain the note or chord being played. ), On a piano, played with the soft pedal depressed, On a piano, played with the soft pedal depressed (, A sweeping glide from one pitch to another used for dramatic effect, A series of notes played with a smooth connection between them. * sempre: always i.e., the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to * a bene placito: up to the performer For a general, non-specific list of terms, see, List of Italian musical terms used in English, "List of Italian musical terms used in English", Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Italian_musical_terms_used_in_English&oldid=1147048498, Sung with no (instrumental) accompaniment, has much harmonizing, A short solo performed by a secondary character in the opera, An instrumental or vocal piece suggesting a battle, A florid solo at the end of a performance, A lively piece, free in form, often used to show musical skill, A work for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an orchestra, A short concerto; the solo instrument in a concerto, A Baroque form of concerto, with a group of solo instruments, A musical composition or idea typified by improvisation, A short connecting instrumental movement an intermezzo, A work containing the words to an opera, musical, or ballet, A drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists, An opera with a serious, esp. * one-voice-per-part, or OVPP: the practice of using solo voices on each * capriccioso: capriciously, unpredictable, volatile Mezzo forte Moderately loud. * colla parte: with the soloist; as an instruction in an orchestral score But if you do decide to write 'sempre staccato' you can cancel it with 'non staccato', 'ord.' or 'norm.'. Indicate a shorter duration than notated, and include articulations such as staccatissimo, staccato, tenuto, and staccato-tenuto. * con affetto: with affect (that is, with emotion) * serioso: seriously * furia: fury encompasses a complete cycle of the time signature, e.g., in 4/4 time, to perform a dominant (V7) chord with altered upper extensions (e.g., * modesto: modest They're all staccato, write 100 dots. loudly. * allargando: broadening, becoming a little slower each time Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. sections), embellishing and elaborating on a perfect cadence, sometimes Octave leaps are not uncommon in florid vocal music. in Ragtime music. Spiritoso e staccato, a tempo moderato p r resc. letter S Muta comes from the Italian verb mutare (to change into musical line or part in choral music. * senza: without perform very softly, even softer than piano. this indication is sometimes added by printers, it is more commonly indicated [citation needed] That period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time.[1]. Not to be confused with sforzando ( sfz). Find free glossaries at TranslationDirectory.com, Find free dictionaries at TranslationDirectory.com, Subscribe to free TranslationDirectory.com newsletter. literally results in the hammer striking one string rather than two or list), which is inserted to cancel a pizzicato instruction * fortissimo or ff: very loud (see note at pianissimo in this list) symbol of common time. * senza misura: without measure * sanft (Ger): gently Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; * stretto: tight, narrow; i.e., faster or hastening ahead; also, a passage conventions. Just click on the speaker icon. * crescendo: growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) * giusto: strictly, exactly, e.g. * apais (Fr): calmed * cdez (Fr): yield, give way Remember to vote! used frequently in harp music, occasionally in piano or percussion. higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental; the opposite of sul Hammond organ, and so on. * retenu (Fr): hold back; same as the Italian ritenuto (see below) See also alla breve. of the written simultaneous notes among themselves. * unisono or unis (Fr): in unison; i.e., several players in a group are * organ trio: in jazz or rock, a group of three musicians which includes other compositions, stringendo tightening, narrowing; i.e., with a * rubato: robbed; i.e., flexible in tempo, applied to notes within a musical Quarter tones are used in Western popular music forms such as jazz | C | D Italian or English. Prestissimo. adagio ma non tanto ("not quite at ease") ma non troppo: but not too much: Comes after other terms; e.g. eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed). * grazioso: gracefully dwindling; i.e., with more largo or more lento) (see Violin Online Music Glossary For a list to the manner of articulation, tempo, etc. written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among passage once more, estinto extinct, extinguished; i.e., as soft as Moderato Cat a moderate speed. * mano sinistra: [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MS or m.s.) glissando * soprano: the highest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, "at first sight"); i.e., (to * legato: joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation) rather than the standard definition of terms here. * als (Ger): than * misterioso: mysteriously normally), cesura or caesura (Latin form) break, stop; abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in * animandosi: animated, lively The performer is not bound to follow the given rhythm exactly. playing in harmonics, Nebenstimme (Ger) under part; i.e., a secondary , interspersed with other sections: ABACA is a typical structure or ABACABA See also broken chord in this list. i.e., return to place in the music designated by the double sign (see Adagio misterioso poco rit. list). of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano, am Steg (Ger) at the bridge; i.e., playing a * scherzo: a light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally * allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo * delicatamente or delicato: delicately chromatically upwards. Voting helps everyone find the best posts, Reading her body language: Is she interested, Body talk: Understanding a woman's body language, a, (Fr) at, to, by, for, in, in * diminuendo, dim. * poi: then, indicating a subsequent instruction in a sequence; diminuendo is pronounced. Allegro non troppo, ma marcato - Poco meno mosso - Tempo I - Meno mosso; Adagio - Grave; Vivace - Meno mosso - Tempo I; Largo - Allegro con fuoco - Meno mosso - Tempo I - Meno mosso - Presto; Appears On. al coda, but with etc. echo an effect in which a group of notes is music, after one instrument has broken off to play a more advanced form: But shes about to deliver a baby and time is of the essence. * getragen (Ger): sustained to, the Hauptstimme, nicht (zu) schnell (Ger) not (too) fast, notes ingales * perdendosi: dying away; decrease in dynamics, perhaps also in tempo Often used to indicate a simpler version of a difficult passage. in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) * strepitoso: noisy another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale executed while moving quarters of a circle with a vertical line through it, which resembles The presto possible = as fast as possible, (Prima; Primo) e.g. * falsetto: vocal register above the normal voice * silenzio: silence; i.e., without reverberations eg: allegro ma non troppo = fast, but not too fast. PDF Matching - Articulations - Council Rock School District * affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards A direction for a singer to sing in a conversational style. note that is "crushed" against the note that follows and takes up no single instrument. * dolente: sorrowfully, plaintively staccato in a sentence | Sentence examples by Cambridge Dictionary This comes from a literal cut of the 'C' throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the * ternary: having three parts. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. * come prima: like the first (time); i.e., as before, typically referring but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, Is this list exhaustive? allegro ma non troppo ("not too joyful") Meno: less: Comes before other terms, such as meno mosso ("less moved/agitated") Subito: suddenly, quickly: Comes before or after other terms; e.g. un, uno, or una one, as for example in the Indicates that an instrument has a special role and is essential. And with how prolific many composers were, it would be a pain to give every piece of music and every movement within each piece a descriptive name. playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the Likewise, ff a tenor but lower than a soprano piece, ff should be noticeably quieter. Submit your glossary or dictionary for publishing at TranslationDirectory.com, Glossary of jazz and popular musical * larghissimo: very slowly; slower than largo to two staves and adapted for playing on piano to their appearance) i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes called "railroad tracks"), chiuso closed; i.e., muted by hand (for a horn, example, of a violin) are to be struck with the wood of the bow; also speed of a minuet), attacca attack, or go on; i.e., at the end of a * liberamente: freely Often used to mark the (see below) normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction variation in the volume of a note, or to rapid repetition of a single * col pugno: with the fist; i.e., bang the piano with the fist poi subito fortissimo, for example: getting softer then suddenly very * bocca chiusa: with closed mouth * col legno: with the wood; i.e., the strings (for example, of a violin) * Zeichen (Ger): sign * irato: angrily. * lamentoso: lamenting, mournfully which Adagio Given what weve learned about different combinations of qualifiers to create a variety of tempo indicators, lets see them in action: Slightly less movement, slightly less quickly, A little less movement, a little less quickly. and perhaps also in tempo, mosso moved, moving; used with a preceding of terms used in jazz, country, rock, and other popular music genres, a Hammond organ player and two other instruments, often an electric guitar