Largo
Ver slow and broad
Larghetto
Less slow than largo
Lento
Slow
Adagio
Slow (slower than andante, but not as slow as largo)
Andante
Rather slow, at a moderate, walking pace
Andantino
A little faster than andante
Moderato
Moderate tempo
Allegretto
Fairly quick, slightly slower than allegro
Allegro
Lively, fast
Presto
Very fast
Prestissimo
As fast as possible
Tempo
Time; speed at which music is performed
Con moto
With movement
Grave
Extrememly slow and solemn
Vivace
Lively, brisk
Comodo
At a comfortable, easy tempo
A Tempo
In time; return to the original tempo after an increase or decrease in tempo
Rallentando, rall.
Slowing down gradually
Ritardando, rit.
Slowing down gradually
Tempo primo, Tempo I
Return to the original tempo
Accelerando, accel.
Becoming quicker
Meno mosso
Less movement, slower
Piu mosso
More movement, quicker
Rubato
A flexible tempo, using slight variations of speed to enhance musical expression
Allargando, allarg.
Broadening, becoming slower
L’istesso tempo
At the same tempo
Ritenuto, riten.
Suddenly slower, held back
Stringendo, strong.
Pressing, becoming faster
Pianissimo, pp
Very soft
Piano, p
Soft
Mezzo piano, mp
Moderately soft
Mezzo forter, mf
Moderately loud

Forte, f

 

Loud
Fortissimo, ff
Very loud
Crescendo, cresc. ;
Becoming louder
Decrescendo, decresc. ;
Becoming softer
Diminuendo, dim. ;
Becoming softer
Fortepiano, fp
Loud, then suddenly soft
Sforzando, sforzato, sf or sfz
A sudden, strong accent on a single note or chord
Cantabile
In a singing style
Dolce
Sweet
Grazioso
Graceful
Legato
Smooth
Maestoso
Majestic
Marcato, marc.
Marked, emphasized
Staccato
Detached
Tenuto
Held, sustained
Animato
Animated, spirited
Brillante
Brilliant
Con brio
With vigor, or vivacity
Con espressione
With expression
Espressivo, espress.
Expressively
Leggiero
Light
Spiritoso
Spirited
Tranquillo
Tranquil
Ad libitum, ad lib.
At the performer’s liberty
Agitato
Agitated, excited
Calando
Becoming slower and softer
Con fuoco
With fire
Con grazia
With grace
Dolente
Doleful, sorrowful
Giocoso
Humourous, jocose
Grandioso
Grand, grandiose
Largamente
Broadly
Martellato
Strongly accented, hammered
Mesto
Sad, mournful
Morendo
Dying, fading away
Pesante
Weighty, with emphasis
Risoluto
Resolute
Scherzando
Playful
Semplice
Simple
Sonore
Sonorous
Sostenuto, sost.
Sustained
Sotto voce
Soft, subdued, under the breath
Vivo
Lively
Con pedale, Ped.
With pedal
Da capo, D.C.
From the beginning
D.C. al Fine
Repeat from teh beginning and end at Fine
dal segno, D.S.
From the sign
Fine
End, close
Mano destra, M.D.
Right hand
Mano sinistra, M.S.
Left hand
Ottava, 8va
An octave
Loco
Place; return to the written register
Tre corde
Three strings; an indication in piano music to stop using the soft pedal
Una corde
One stringl depress the left (piano) pedal
Arco
For the stringed instruments: played with the bow
Attacca
Do not pause between sections or movements
Con sordino
Played with a mute
Pizzicato, pizz.
For stringed instruments: plucked with the fingers
Quindicesima alto (15ma)
Two octaves higher
Primo, prima
First; the upper part of a duet
Secondo, seconda
Second; the lower part of a duet
Sopra
Above
Tacet
Silence (used in orchestral parts)
Tutti
For the whole ensemble
Volti subito, v.s.
Turn the page quickly
Alla, all’
In the style of
Assai
Very
Ben, bene
Well
Col, coll’, colla, colle
With the
Con
With
E, ed
And
Ma
But
Meno
Less
Molto
Much, very
Non
Not
Non troppo
Not too much
Piu
More
Poco
Little
Poco a poco
Little by little
Quasi
Almost, as if
Sempre
Always, continuously
Senza
Without
Troppo
Too much
Simile
Like; continue in the same manner as has just been indicated
Subito, sub.
Suddenly
Volta
Time (as in prima volta, seconda volta)
Cedez
Yield; hold the tempo back
Leger
Light, lightly
Lentement
Slowly
Modere
At a moderate tempo
Mouvement
Tempo; motion
Vite
Fast
Bewegt
Moving
Langsam
Slow, slowly
Massig
Moderate, moderately
Mit Ausdruck
With expression
Schnell
fast
Sehr
Very
Marc. (marcato)
Marked or emphasized
Bis
Repeat twice
Staccato
The note is held for about half its value
Staccatissimo
Very short, held for about a quarter of its value
Mezzo staccato
Slightly detached (slur with dots)
Fermata
Indicates a pause. The note (or rest) is to be held longer than its normal value
M.M.
Maelzel’s Metronome for metronome markings (M.M. = 96)
m., mm.
Measure, measures
A trill
A rapid alternation of the note with the note above it
To be played as an arpeggio
Not sounded together as a solid chord, but following each other quickly, starting with the bottom note
A glissando
To draw the finger quickly up (or down) a series of adjacent notes