| a poco |
a little; gradually |
grazioso |
gracefully |
| a tempo |
in time; generally implies a return to the original rate of speed |
l’istesso |
the same |
| accelerando |
gradually faster |
larghetto |
slow, but not as slow as largo |
| adagietto |
slow, but not as slow as adagio |
largo |
very slow |
| adagio |
very slow |
legato |
smooth and connected |
| agitato |
agitated; rapid |
lento |
very slow |
| al fine |
to the finish |
maestoso |
majestically |
| alla |
in the style of |
marcato |
marked; with emphasis |
| allargando |
gradually slower and broader |
marziale |
martial |
| allegretto |
light and moderately quick, but not as fast as allegro |
meno |
less |
| allegro |
rapid; lively |
mezzo |
medium; half |
| andante |
moderately slow, but moving |
moderato |
moderately |
| andantino |
generally a little quicker than andante |
molto |
very |
| animato |
animated; spirited |
mosso |
motion; movement |
| appassionato |
intensely; passionately; with deep feeling |
non troppo |
not too much |
| brilliante |
brilliantly |
pianissimo |
very softly |
| cantabile |
in a singing style |
piano |
softly |
| chromatic |
by semi-tones |
poco |
a little |
| coda |
the final added measures of a musical composition |
poco a poco |
little by little |
| con anima |
with animation; spirit |
prestissimo |
very fast; more so than presto |
| con brio |
with spirit; brilliantly |
presto |
very fast |
| con forza |
with force |
rallentando |
gradually slower |
| con grazia |
with grace |
ritardando |
gradually slower |
| con spirito |
with spirit; brilliance |
ritenuto |
a steady pace, but slower than the preceding tempo |
| crescendo |
gradually louder |
rubato |
temporary irregularity of time, lengthening some notes at the expense of others |
| da capo |
from the beginning |
segno |
the sign |
| dal segno |
from the sign |
sempre |
always; continually |
| decrescendo |
gradually softer |
sforzando |
forced; with emphasis |
| diminuendo |
gradually softer |
simile |
the same |
| dolce |
sweetly |
soli |
more than one performer in unison |
| energico |
energetically |
solo |
a composition or passage for one performer |
| etude |
a study |
sostenuto |
sustained |
| fermata |
a hold or pause |
staccato |
separated, detached style |
| forte |
loud |
subito |
suddenly |
| fortissimo |
very loud |
tacet |
silent |
| furioso |
furiously |
tempo |
time; speed |
| grandioso |
grand or noble style |
tenuto |
sustain full value |
| grave |
very slow or solemn |
vivace |
vivacious; lively |