adagio
slow, leisurly tempo
al fine
TO the end, generally used after a repetition
all breve
double time; 2/2 instead of 4/4
alla breve
double time; 2/2 instead of 4/4
allegretto
slower than allegro, lighter texture
allegro
fast
amabile
sweet, loveable
ancora meno mosso
once more, but a little slower
andante
rather slow, moderate walking pace
aria
self-contained compostition for a solo voice such as opera
arpeggio
notes of a chord played in succesion
atonal
music lacking a tonal center; abscence of key
augmented
raised or enlarged
ballad
a strophic, narrative song
berceuse
lullaby
cadenza
improvised ornamental passage performed by a solist; next to the CADENCE!!! =D
cantabile
singable
chorale
congregational song or hymn
chromatic
motion by half steps
common time
4/4 time sig.;also looks like a C
D.C. or Da Capo
repeat from the beginning
D.S. or Dal Segno
repeat from the sign
diminished
lowered or reduced
dolce
sweetly
embellishment
ornamentation added to music to make it more beautiful
fermata
a pause or hold
fine
the end
grave
grave or solemn
interval
relationship between 2 pitches
key
the pitch relationships that establish a tonal center
largo
very slow or broad
leading tone
7th degree of a diatonic scale
leap
movement from one pitch to another that is more than a full step away
leggiero
light & soft
lunga
long pause determined by the conductor
marcato
marked, stressed
motif
a short musical idea or melodic theme
notation
any means of writing down music
phrase
a single musical idea
portamento
manner of singing where the voice glides from one note to the next
prestissimo
as fast as possible
presto
very fast, faster than allegro
primo
first or upper part
rallentando
slowing down; same as retardando
rubato
making the pulse flexible; an expressive device
sempre
always
sforzando
strongly accented; forced; symbol looks like “SFZ”
simile
continue to perform in the same manner
sotto voce
softly with a subdued sound; performed in an undertone
strophic
song where stanzas are all sung to the same music
subito
suddenly; quickly
tenuto
fully sustained
tonic
the key center