Signs and Terms Flashcards by Wayne Chen

a tempo

return to the original tempo

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accent

play note louder than the others

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accelerando

accelerate; gradually faster

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adagio

slowly

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allargando

broadening; gradually slower

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allegro

fast or quick, cheerfully, merrily

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allegretto

slightly slower than allegro; faster than andante

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andante

moderate walking tempo

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andantino

slightly faster than andante; some composers use it to mean slower than andante

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animato

animated; with spirit

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appoggiatura

used mainly in music of the Classical Period, play the first note as half the value of the second note

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arpeggio

a broken chord

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atonality

no specific key or tonality

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bitonality

the use of two different keys at the same time

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canon

a strict form of contrapuntal writing in which each voice exactly imitates the melody of the first voice

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cantabile

in a singing style

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coda

an extended ending

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codetta

a short coda, or a short section of music that connects two other sections but is not part of either

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con

with

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con brio

with vigor or spirit, with brilliance

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con fuoco

with fire and fury

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con moto

with motion

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crescendo

gradually louder

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D.C. al fine

go back to the beginning and play to fine

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damper pedal

press the pedal located on the right

decrescendo or dimenuendo

gradually softer

dolce

sweetly

doloroso

sadly; sorrowfully

double flat

two flats placed before a note; lower the note a whole step

double sharp

the symbol x placed before a note; raise the note a whole step

dynamics

letters or symbols which tell how loudly or softly to play the music

enharmonic

two different names for the same pitch

espressivo

expressively

fine

the end

forte

loud

fortissimo

very loud

fortississimo

very, very loud

forte-piano

loud followed immediately by soft

fermata

hold the note longer than its value

first and second ending

play the music with the first ending then repreat the music; the second time skip the first ending and play the second ending

giocoso

merrily, with humor

gracioso

gracefully

largo

very slowly

legato

play smoothly; connect the notes

leggiero

lightly, delicately

lento

slowly

m.d.

mano destra, use the right hand

m.s.

mano sinistra, use the left hand

marcato

stressed, marked

meno

less

meno mosso

less motion; slower

mezzo forte

medium loud

mezzo piano

medium soft

moderato

a moderate or medium tempo

molto

much; very

octave sign (8va)

play the notes an octave higher (or lower if below the notes) than where they are written

opus

a word used to indicate the chronological order in which a composer's music was written

ostinato

a persistently repeated pattern

parallel Major/minor

Major and minor keys with the same letter names, such as C Major and c minor

piano

soft

pianissimo

very soft

pianississimo

very, very soft

pesante

heavily

phrase

a musical sentence, often but not always four measures long

piu

piu mosso

more motion; faster

poco

little

polytonality

the use of several different keys at the same time

presto

very fast

rallentando

gradually slower

relative Major/minor

Major and minor keys which have the same key signature

repeat sign

repeat the previous sections of music; go back to the nearest repeat sign, or to the beginning of the piece if there is none

ritardando

gradually slower

ritenuto

immediately slower

robusto

robustly, boldly

scherzando

playfully, jokingly

sempre

always

senza

without

sforzando

a sudden, sharp accent

simile

continue in the same style

slur

curved line that indicates legato

spiritoso

spirited, with spirit

sostenuto

sustained

staccato

play crisply or detached

subito

suddenly; at once

syncopation

a momentary contradiction of the meter or pulse, often by changing strong and weak bits within a measure

tempo

the speed at which to play the music

tenuto

hold the note for its full value; may also mean to stress the note

tie

hold the second note; do not play it

tranquillo

tranquilly, peacefully, calmly

tre corde (t.c.)

release the una corda pedal (soft pedal; left pedal)

trill

an ornament in which the written note is alternated with the note above

trill with prefix

a trill performed with an added beginning from above or below

turn

an ornament in which the written note is surrounded by its upper and lower neighbors

una corda (u.c.)

press the left or soft pedal

vivace

quick, lively

vivo

brisk, lively

...etto

a suffix meaning little or less than

...ino

a suffix meaning little or less than

Signs and Terms Flashcards

(99 cards)