This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian Italian ( italiano , or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken as a native language by about 70 million people in Italy, San Marino and parts of Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia and France. In addition, it is spoken by an additional 120 to 150 million people as a non-native language. Most native speakers are native bilinguals of both (see also Italian musical terms used in English A great many musical terms are in Italian. This is because many of the most important early composers in the renaissance period were Italian, and that period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time[citation needed]), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French French is a Romance language spoken as a first language by about 136 million people worldwide. Around 190 million people speak French as a second language, and an additional 200 million speak it as an acquired foreign language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories. Most native speakers of the language live in and German German (Deutsch, [ˈdɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Globally, German is spoken by approximately 120 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers, indicated by "(Fr)" and "(Ger)", respectively. Others are from languages such as Latin and Spanish.

Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. The list can never be complete: some terms are common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from time to time. Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms here. For a list of terms used in jazz, country, rock, and other popular music genres, see the List of jazz and popular musical terms This is a list of jazz and popular musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed popular music songbooks and vocal scores, big band scores, jazz and rock concert reviews, and album liner notes. This glossary includes terms for musical instruments, playing or singing techniques, amplifiers, effects, sound reinforcement equipment, and article.

A

• a, à (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in the style of
• a 2: see a due in this list
• aber (Ger): but
• a bene placito: up to the performer
• a cappella A cappella music is solo or group vocal or singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato style. In the 19th century a renewed interest in Renaissance polyphony coupled with an ignorance of the fact that: in the manner of singing in a chapel; i.e., without instrumental accompaniment
• accarezzévole Accarezzévole is a music term that is marked on sheet music to indicate a piece is to be played in an expressive and caressing manner. Alexander Scriabin was one of the few composers to use this term in his music: expressive and caressing
• accelerando, accel.: accelerating; gradually increasing the tempo In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. It is a crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece
• accentato: accented; with emphasis
• acceso: ignited, on fire
• acciaccatura In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note. The amount of ornamentation in a piece of music can vary from quite extensive (it was often so in: crushing; i.e., a very fast grace note A grace note is a kind of music notation used to denote several kinds of musical ornaments. When occurring by itself, a single grace note normally indicates the intention of either an appoggiatura or an acciaccatura. When they occur in groups, grace notes can be interpreted to indicate any of several different classes of ornamentation, depending that is "crushed" against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure
• accompagnato: accompanied; i.e., with the accompaniment following the soloist, who may speed up or slow down at will
• adagietto: rather slow
• adagio: at ease; i.e., slow
• adagissimo: very, very slow
• ad libitum Ad libitum is Latin for "at [one's] pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun). The roughly synonymous phrase a bene placito ("at [one's] good pleasure") is less common but, in its Italian form a piacere, entered the musical lingua franca (see below) (commonly ad lib; Latin): at liberty; i.e., the speed and manner of execution are left to the performer
• a due: intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; two instruments are to play in unison after a solo passage for one of the instruments
• affannato, affannoso: anguished
• affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect The doctrine of the affections, also known as the doctrine of affects, or by the German term Affektenlehre was a theory in musical aesthetics popular in the Baroque era (1600–1750). It derived from ancient theories of rhetoric, and was widely accepted by late-Baroque theorists and composers. The essential idea is that just one unified and " (that is, with emotion); see also con affetto
• affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards
• agile: swiftly
• agitato: agitated
• al, alla: to the, in the manner of (al before masculine nouns, alla before feminine)
• alla breve: in cut-time; two beats per measure or the equivalent thereof
• alla marcia: in the style of a march
• allargando: broadening, becoming a little slower each time
• allegretto: a little lively, moderately fast
• allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo
• allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast
• allegrissimo: very fast, though slower than presto
• als (Ger): than
• alt (English) (also alt dom or altered dominant): a jazz term which instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist to perform a dominant (V7) chord with altered upper extensions (e.g., sharp 11th, flat 13th, etc).
• altissimo: very high
• alto: high; often refers to a particular range of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano
• alzate sordini: lift or raise the mutes; i.e., remove mutes
• am Steg (Ger): at the bridge; i.e., playing a bowed string instrument near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello in this list)
• amabile: amiable, pleasant
• amoroso: loving
• anacrusis In poetry, anacrusis is the lead-in syllables, collectively, that precede the first full measure: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup
• andante: at a walking pace; i.e., at a moderate tempo
• andantino: slightly faster than andante (but earlier it is sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante)
• a niente: to nothing; an indication to make a diminuendo which fades to pppp
• a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it dies away (this only works with instruments which cannot sustain a note)
• animandosi: animated, lively
• animato: animated, lively
• antiphon An antiphon is a response, usually sung in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or some other part of a religious service, such as at Vespers or at a Mass. This meaning gave rise to the 'antiphony', a call and response style of singing: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical piece, similar to a refrain A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina.^[1]
• apaisé (Fr): calmed
• a piacere: at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm Rhythm is a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." In other words, rhythm is simply the timing of the musical sounds and silences. While rhythm most commonly applies to sound, such as music and spoken language, it may also refer to visual presentation, as " strictly
• appassionato: passionately
• appoggiatura In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note. The amount of ornamentation in a piece of music can vary from quite extensive (it was often so in: one or more grace notes A grace note is a kind of music notation used to denote several kinds of musical ornaments. When occurring by itself, a single grace note normally indicates the intention of either an appoggiatura or an acciaccatura. When they occur in groups, grace notes can be interpreted to indicate any of several different classes of ornamentation, depending that take up some note value of the next full note.
• a prima vista: at first sight; i.e., playing or singing something at first sight of the music sheet
• arco: the bow used for playing some string instrument; i.e., played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction
• arietta: a short aria An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is opera, although there are many arias that form movements of oratorios and
• arioso In classical music, arioso is a style of solo opera singing between recitative and aria. Literally, arioso means airy. The term arose in the 16th century along with the aforementioned styles and monody. It is commonly confused with recitativo accompagnato: airy, or like an air (a melody); i.e., in the manner of an aria; melodious
• armonioso: harmoniously
• arpeggio In music, an arpeggio is Italian for broken chord where the notes are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously. This word comes from the Italian word "arpeggiare" , which means "to play on a harp". Formed from scales, the arpeggio is based on the relative scale playing the ": like a harp A harp is a stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. It is classified as a chordophone by the Harvard Dictionary of Music and only types of harps are in that class of instruments with plucked strings. All harps have a neck, resonator, and strings. Some, known as frame harps, also have a; i.e., the notes of the chords In music, a chord is any set of harmonically-related notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously (a "harmonic simultaneity", see Simultaneity ). The most frequently encountered chords in theory and music are triads: major and minor and then the augmented and diminished triads. The descriptions "major", "minor", & are to be played quickly one after another (usually ascending) instead of simultaneously. In music for piano The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is widely known as one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in Classical music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Although not portable and often expensive,, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chord whose notes cannot be played otherwise. Arpeggios are frequently used as an accompaniment. See also broken chord in this list.
• arpeggiato In music, an arpeggio is Italian for broken chord where the notes are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously. This word comes from the italian word "arpeggi" , which means "to play on a harp". These are formed from scales, The arpeggio is based on the relative scale playing the &: a way of playing a chord: starting with the lowest note, and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. Sometimes the effect is reversed, so that the highest note is played first.
• assai: very
• assez (Fr): enough, sufficiently; sometimes used in the same sense as assai
• a tempo: in time; i.e., the performer should return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or ritardando, etc.); also may be found in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) or a tempo di menuetto (at the speed of a minuet)
• attacca: attack, or go on; i.e., at the end of a movement A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession, a direction to begin (attack) the next movement immediately, without a gap or pause
• Ausdruck (Ger): expression
• ausdrucksvoll (Ger): expressively
• avec (Fr): with or with another

B

• B (Ger): B flat in German German (Deutsch, [ˈdɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Globally, German is spoken by approximately 120 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers (and Icelandic Icelandic ( íslenska ) is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese); B natural is called H
• barbaro: barbarous (notably used in Allegro barbaro by Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (pronounced /ˈbɑrtɒk/ , Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbeːlɒ ˈbɒrtoːk]) (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered to be one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as his country's greatest composer (Gillies 2001). Through)
• Bartók pizzicato: a term which instructs string performers to play a pizzicato note to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that it snaps back percussively on the fingerboard.
• bass A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second F below middle C to the E above middle C . Its tessitura, or comfortable range, is normally defined by the outermost lines: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought of as defining and supporting the harmony In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic line, or the "horizontal" aspect; in an orchestral context, the term usually refers to the double bass The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, bass violin or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The double bass is a standard member of the string section of the symphony orchestra and smaller string ensembles in Western classical music. In addition, it is used in.
• basso continuo Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and nonchord tones, in relation to a bass note. Figured bass is closely associated with basso continuo, an accompaniment used in almost all genres of music in the Baroque period, though rarely in modern music: continuous bass; i.e., a bass part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the Baroque Baroque music describes a style of European classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1750. This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance and was followed by the Classical era. The word "baroque" came from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning "misshapen pearl", a strikingly fitting characterization of the period
• beat: (1) the pronounced rhythm Rhythm is a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." In other words, rhythm is simply the timing of the musical sounds and silences. While rhythm most commonly applies to sound, such as music and spoken language, it may also refer to visual presentation, as " of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic Rhythm is a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." In other words, rhythm is simply the timing of the musical sounds and silences. While rhythm most commonly applies to sound, such as music and spoken language, it may also refer to visual presentation, as " accent
• bellicoso: warlike, aggressive
• ben or bene: well; in ben marcato ("well marked") for example
• bend: jazz term referring either to establishing a pitch, sliding down half a step and returning to the original pitch or sliding up half a step from the original note.
• beschleunigte (Ger): accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, at an accelerated tempo
• bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed
• binary Binary form is a way of structuring a piece of music in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance: a musical form in two sections: AB
• bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs the performer to hold a note or chord as long as they wish
• bis (Lat): twice; i.e., repeat the relevant action or passage
• bisbigliando: whispering; i.e., a special tremolo effect on the harp A harp is a stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. It is classified as a chordophone by the Harvard Dictionary of Music and only types of harps are in that class of instruments with plucked strings. All harps have a neck, resonator, and strings. Some, known as frame harps, also have a where a chord or note is rapidly repeated at a low volume
• bocca chiusa: with closed mouth
• bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly
• breit (Ger): broad
• bridge: Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, also transition. Also the part of a stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument.
• brillante: brilliantly, with sparkle
• brio: vigour; usually in con brio
• brioso: vigorously (same as con brio)
• broken chord: A chord In music, a chord is any set of harmonically-related notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously (a "harmonic simultaneity", see Simultaneity ). The most frequently encountered chords in theory and music are triads: major and minor and then the augmented and diminished triads. The descriptions "major", "minor", & in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less consistent sequence. They may follow singly one after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. See also arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass Alberti bass is a particular kind of accompaniment in music, often used in the Classical era, and sometimes the Romantic era. It was named after Domenico Alberti , who used it extensively, although he was not the first to use it.
• bruscamente: brusquely

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