Glossary of Music Terms

A

• Accelerando (it.) - Gradually increasing the speed.
• Adagio (it.) - Slowly. Also as a name for a piece written in that tempo.
• Agitato - In an agitated, exited or restless style 
• Air - a tune, song or melody. Sometimes found in suites.
• Alegria (it.) - Joyful flamenco dance from the province of cadiz.
• Allargando (it.) - Growing broader, getting slower and louder.
• Allegretto (it.) - Just a "little allegro", slower than allegro.
• Allegro (it.) - Quick, fast, but not as fast as presto.
• Allemande (it.) - German dance in 3/4 time, 16th/17th, rather slow. Like a landler. Often the first dance in the classic suite. 
• Amoroso (it.) - Amorous, loving, affectionately.
• Andante (it.) - Rather slow, at a moderate pace.
• Andantino (it.) - A little faster than andante. (Originally it meant just the opposite, slower than andante, but is no more interpreted like that.) 
• Animato (it.) - Animated, with spirit, lively. (Originally it meant just the opposite, slower than andante, but is no more interpreted like that.) 
• Aria (it.) - A melodic composition like an air, a song or a tune. Originally for a single voice with or without accompaniment. Often also an instrumental piece with a singable melody. 
• Arietta (it.) - A small aria or air. 
• Arpeggio (it.) - In the Style of a harp. The notes of a chord are struck consecutively one after the other. 
• A tempo (it.) - In time, back to original tempo. 
• Aubade (fr.) - a morning music, the opposite of a serenade. 

B

• Barcarolle (fr.)/ Barcarola (it.) - Song in the style of the Venetian gondoliers. 
• Berceuse (fr.) - A crade song, a lullaby. 
• Bolero - Spanish dance in 3/4 time, 19th century. Also known as Cachuca. 
• Bourree (fr.) - old French dance, quick, in double time, often part of suites of pieces 
• Brillante (fr./it.) - In a bright, sparkling, brilliant manner. 

C

• Cantilene (ger.) / Cantilena (it.) - A ballad or light popular song. 
• Canzone (it.) - A song or folk song. 
• Canconetta (it.) - A little song or folk song. 
• Caprice (fr.) Capriccio (it.) Capricioso (it.) - a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form. 
• Cavatina - A melody of a simple form. A song without a second part or a "Da Capo" a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form. 
• Choro - A typical Brazilian music genre deriving from a mix of different European styles like polka, Scottish, tango and havanaise. Melodies emphasizing 16th notes. Choro means "crying". 
• Courante (fr.) Corrente (it.) - From "running". Old French dance in AB-form and 3/2 time. The second dance in the classic suite. a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form. 
• Crescendo (it.) - Gradually getting louder. Abbreviated: cresc. 
• Cueca - Chilian dance written in 6/8 time with the accompaniment in 3/4 time. 

D

• Da Capo (it.) - The sign at the end of a piece saying to begin over from the beginning. Abbreviation: D.C. 
• Da Capo Al Fine (it.) - The sign at the end of a piece saying to begin over from the beginning up to where it says "Fine". 
• Deciso (it.) - Decided, energetic, with firmness. 
• Delicato (it.) - Delicately. 
• Diminuendo (it.) - Gradually getting softer. Abbreviated: dim. 
• Divertimento (it.) - (1) A light composition, (1) A suite for instrument 
• Decrescendo (it.) - Gradually getting softer. 
• Dolce (it.) - Soft, sweetly. 
• Doloroso (it.) - Sorrowful, sadly. 
• Doppio movimento (it.) - Double the speed, twice as fast. 

E

• Entree (fr.) - an introduction, a march-like piece played during the entrance of a dancing group, or played before a ballet. Usually in 4/4 time. 
• Espressivo (it.) - With expression. 
• Etude (fr.) / Study - a usually short composition meant to exercise some special difficulty or technique. 

F

• Fandango (span.) - lively Spanish dance in triple time, beginning slow and getting faster. 
• Fantasia (it.)/Fantasie (ger.)/Fantaisie (Fr.) - A compositions that is not in any of the regular forms. 
• Fine (it.) - The End. This is where to end a piece after a repeat or partial repeat. 
• Forte (it.) - Loud. Abbreviated: f 
• Fortissimo (it.) - Very Loud. Abbreviated: ff 
• Fortississimo (it.) - As loud as possible. Abbreviated: fff 
• Fugue - A polyphonic composition with one or more short themes introduced first by a one voice and repeated by other voices in turn. All this happening with harmonization according to the rule of the counterpoint. 
• Furioso (it.) - Furiously, wildly. 

G

• Galop (fr.) - a lively round-dance in 2/4 time 
• Gavotte (fr.) - French Dance in 4/4, 17th/18th century, still alive in the Bretagne, rather quick 
• Gigue (fr.) - (Jig) lively Scottish or Irish dance in 6/8, 17th/18th century, often the last part in a suite (from English jig, Giga, Geige) 
• Grandioso(it.) - Grand, noble, pompous. 
• Grave (fr.) - Slow (the slowest tempo in music) or deep in pitch 
• Grazioso (it.) - In a graceful style. 

H

• Hornpipe - An old English dance in a lively tempo written in triple and later also in quadruple time. 

L

• Landler (ger.) - A dance in 3/4 or 3/8 time and lively and graceful character. Popular among Styrian peasants. 
• Larghetto (it.) - Rather slow, but not as slow as largo
• Largo (it.) - very slow, broadly. 
• Legato (it.) - In a smooth, connected manner. Opposite of staccato
• Lento (it.) - Slow 

M

• Maestoso(it.) - Majestic, stately, with dignity. 
• Marcato(it.) - With emphasis. 
• Maxixe - A Brazilian dance first introduced in Paris in 1912. It is in 2/4 time of rapid tempo with a slight syncopation. 
• Mazurka - A lively Polish dance in 3/8 or 3/4 
• Meno mosso (it.) - Less movement, slower. 
• Menuet / Minuet (fr.) - Old French dance, in triple time, 17th/18th century, (from menu pas - small step) 
• Mezzo forte (it.) - Half loud, medium loud. Abbreviated: mf 
• Mezzo piano (it.) - Half soft, medium softly. Abbreviated: mp 
• Milonga (it.) - 1.the peppy, cheerful dance milonga as part of the tango; 2.the 'milonga campera' or 'milonga surena', an Argentinean folk music form, often performed just by a singer with a guitar, and of very clear Hispanic influence. The Milonga rhythm is characterized through the division of the 4/4 time in 3+3+2. 
• Moderato - Moderately, in a moderate time. 
• Modinha - Brazilian dance in a sentimental mood, Brazilian love song. 
• Molto (it.) - Much, very much. 
• Moerendo (it.) - Dying away, fading. 
• Musette(fr.) - (1) A small bagpipe or (2) a melody or dance written over a ground note to imitate a the sound of a bagpipe 

N

• Passepied (fr.) - French dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time, sometimes in the German Suites. 
• Passionato (it.) - With passion, with favor. 
• Partita (it) - A Suite. 
• Pavane - Slow solemn dance in duple (or sometimes triple) time, of Spanish origin; generally in three sections, each one repeated. 
• Pianissimo (it.) - Very softly. Abbreviated: pp 
• Pianississimo (it.) - As softly as possible. Abbreviated: ppp 
• Piano (it.) - Softly. Abbreviated: p 
• Piu mosso, piu moto (it) - More motion, quicker. 
• Polacca / Polonaise (fr.) - A Polish dance in moderate 3/4 time reapearting different short motives. 
• Polka - A dance in 2/4 time coming from Bohemia. 
• Prelude (it) - A piece to be played as an introduction or opening piece but often also a single romantic piece, following no specific form. 
• Presto (it) - Rapidly, very fast, faster than vivace
• Prestissimo (it) - As fast as possible. 

Q

• Quadrille (fr.) - French dance 

R

• Rallentando (it.) - Getting gradually slower. 
• Ritardando (it.) - Getting gradually slower. 
• Ritenuto (it.) - Detained, held back, slowed down. 
• Romance (fr.)/ Romanza (it.) / Romanze (ger.)- Romantic, sentimental melody. 
• Rondo - from the French "rondeau". A piece where a main theme reappears in alteration with contrasting other themes. Most often in the form of ABABA or more modern ABACAB and coda. 

S

• Sarabande (it.) - A dance of Spanish origin in 3/4 or 3/2 time. Often part of old suites. It has a steady pace and mostly two parts. 
• Serenade (fr.) - An evening music. A composition for use in the open air at night. 
• Siciliano (it.) Sicilienne (fr.) - - a soft, slow peasant dance in 6/8 or 12/8 time, often in a minor key. Rather similar to a Pastorale, usually in ABA form. It usually has a melody in dotted rhythms, with a broken chord accompaniment. 
• Sonata (it.) - A composition for one or two instruments with several movements, each following specific forms and characteristics. 
• Sonatina (it.) / Sonatine (fr.)- A short sonata, smaller, with less and shorter movements and the subjects not developed at length. 
• Staccato (it.) - In a crisp, detached separated manner. Opposite of legato
• Stringendo (it.) - hasting the movement, becoming faster, pressing. 
• Study / Etude - a usually short composition meant to exercise some special difficulty or technique. 
• Suite (fr.) - A set or series of movements, each consisting of a dance form (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, Gavotte, Menuet, Bourree, Passepied, etc.) and all in the same key. Often proceeded by a Prelude. 

T

• Tango - A dance originated in the streets and salons of Buenos Aires, Argentine. It is characterized as very as passionate. 
• Tarantella - A rapid Italian dance (supposed to cure the bite of a tarantula). 
• Tempo (it.) - Time in the meaning of "rate of movement". 
• Toccata (it.) - Brilliant, prelude-like composition. 
• Tranquillo (it.) - Tranquilly, quietly, calmly. 

V

• Valse(fr.) - See Waltz
• Variations - A theme repeated several times, each time with modifications in time, melody or harmony, but still staying recognizable as the original theme. 
• Vivace (it.) - Lively, very fast. 

W

• Waltz / Valse (fr.) / Valce (it.) / Walzer (ger.)- A dance form said to originate in Bohemia or the German landler. It is in 3/4 time. "Classical" waltzes are compositions in waltz-form but not for dancing.