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Dynamics From soft to loud Pianissimo (pp) - very soft Piano (p) - soft Mezzo piano (mp) - medium soft Mezzo forte (mf) - medium loud Forte (f) - loud Fortissimo (ff) - very loud Calando - gradually diminishing |
Crescendo (<) - gradually increase volume Decrescendo (>) - gradually decrease volume Morendo - dying away Peine entendu barely audible Piu - more Rinforzando (sfz) - sudden, sharp accent Stinguendo - fading away |
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| Tempo
from slow to fast Grave - grave; very slow Largo - broad, very slow Lento - slow Adagio - slow, at ease Andante - moderate; walking tempo Andantino - a little faster than Andante Moderato - moderate Allegro - fast Allegretto - between Allegro and Andante Presto - very fast Prestissimo - as fast as possible Modifiers A tempo - return to normal tempo Accelerando - accelerate, become faster Allargando - slowing down and becoming broader |
Assai - much faster Cedez - slow down Con Moto - with motion Dopplo Movimento - double speed Meno - less Mosso - moved, agitated Non Troppo - not too much Rallentando (Retardando) - slowing down Rasch - quick Ritenuto - suddenly slower Rubato - elastic, flexible tempo Schnell - faster Sostenuto - sustained Stringendo - quickening, with growing excitement Tempo Primo - resume the original of first tempo Vivace - lively; very quick |
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| Expressive Markings
Affetuoso - affectionate, tender Affretando - hurrying Agitato - agitated Arioso - lyric and expressive Attaca - attack Aufgeregt - excited Bewegt - animated, with motion Cantablie - singing Comodo - easy, comfortable Con Brio - with vigor Con Calore - with warmth Con Fuoco - with fire Deutlich - clear, distinct Dolce - sweet Doucement - gently Doulereux - sorrowful Duramente - harshly Eclatante - brilliant, sparkling Empfindung, mit - with emotion, with feeling En dehors - emphasized Entschieden - resolute, determined Expressivo - expressive Fastoso - pompous Feierlich - solemn Fiero - high spirited, bold Fliessend - flowing Frei - free, with freedom Frohlich - joyful Garbato - graceful Gelassen - quiet, calm Gemachlich - comfortable, leisurely Gemendo - lamenting gemessen - restrained Gesangvoll - songlike, cantablie Geschwing - quick, nimble Giocoso - merry Giusto - just,right, fitting tempo Grazioso - graceful Gusto - with zest Hastig - with haste, hurrying Heftig - violent Innig - heartfelt, tender Kraftig - strong, vigorous Lacrimoso - mournful Langsam - slow |
Lebhaft - lively Leidenschaftig - passionate Legato - smooth Leggiero - light Liscio - smooth Lourd - heavy Lusingando - caressing Lustig - merry, cheerful Lutuoso - mourning Maestoso - majestic Marcato - stressed Markiert - marked, stressed Markig - vigorous Mesto - sad Mezzo - medium Munter - cheerful Nachdrucklich - emphatic, expressive Patetico - with great emotion Pesante - heavy, emphatic Piacevole - pleasing ,agreeable Pianamente - smoothly, softly Placido - tranquil, calm Precipitando - rushing, impetuous Ruhig - quiet Scherzando - humorous Schwungvoll - animated, with spirit Semplice - simple, unaffected Sempre - still, always Sfoggiando - ostentatious Slancio, con - with dash Snello - agile, nimble Soave - Gentle, sweet Sospirando - sighing, plaintive Staccato - detached, short Straziante - anguished Strepitoso - boisterous Tenuto - held Traumerisch - dreamy Treibend - hurrying Unruhig - restless Voile - veiled, subdued Volante - rushing, flying Zart - tender, soft |
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Bowings
Abstrich (Tierer, Tiere, Tierez) - down bow Aufstrich - up bow Am steg - near the bridge Am Frosch - near the frog Am Griffbrett - near or over the fingerboard Arco - with the bow Arpeggio - arpeggiated so that the notes of the chord are played one after the other instead of simultaneously Arrache- forceful pizzicato Au Chevalet - close to the bridge Col Legno - with the wood of the bow Col Arco - with the bow Coup D'Archet - bow stroke Detache - detached, single bowing with slight articulation on each note Flautando (Flautato) - bowing lightly over the fingerboard to produce a flutelike effect |
Glissando (Strisciando)- sliding from one pitch to the next Jete - "throwing" the upper part of the bow on the string so that it will bounce a series of rapid notes on the down bow Loure - slight separation of notes taken in a slur Martele - bowing with forceful, sudden release Pizzicato - plucked Portato - a manner of performance halfway between legato and staccato Saltando - light, bouncing strokes played in the middle of the bow Staccato - short, detached strokes Sul Ponticello - close to the bridge Sul Tasto - near or over the fingerboard Talon - at the frog Tremolo - short, rapidly repeated strokes Tenuto - sustained |
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Miscellaneous Terms
Al Fine - to the end A Piacere - at the performers discretion Al Segno (A.S.) - to the sign Alta - higher; as in 8va alta; play one octave higher Ancora - again, repeat; as in ancora piu forte; still louder Attaca - attack, go to the next movement withoug a break Bassa - lower; as in 8va bassa; play one octave lower Bis - repeat Cadenza - extended section, usually for a solo in a free, improvisatory style Coda - closing section of a movement Come Prima - as at first Con - with (it's spanish) Da Capo ( D.C., Von Anfang) - from the beginning Dal Segno (D.S.) - from the sign Dampfer - mute Divisi - divided |
Fine - end GP - general pause Luftpause - breathing rest Oberstimme - upper part Ossia - alternate passage, usually easier Ottava - octave Poco - a little Senza - without Simile - continue in the same manner Sordino - mute Subito - suddenly Sul - on Tacet - silent Tutti - all Volti - turn over |
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