Conducting Part I

Front 1

8va

Back 1

Octave, eight full tones above the written note (12 half steps)

Front 2

a capella

Back 2

One or more vocalists performing without an accompaniment. Literally, "In the chapel" Which means in the style of singing in the chapel without accompaniment.

Front 3

a piacere

Back 3

at pleasure, at the performer's discretion

Front 4

a tempo

Back 4

In time

Front 5

accidental

Back 5

A marking that denotes an alteration in the pitch, sharp or flat

Front 6

Adagio

Back 6

slow, leisurely

Front 7

al coda

Back 7

to the Coda (literally: go to the tail)

Front 8

allargando

Back 8

gradually growing slower

Front 9

Allegro

Back 9

lively, happy, brisk tempo

Front 10

Andante

Back 10

moving, walking tempo

Front 11

animato

Back 11

animated

Front 12

aria

Back 12

An air: song, tune, melody

Front 13

assai

Back 13

very

Front 14

avec

Back 14

with

Front 15

bar line

Back 15

the vertical line that defines a measure

Front 16

brackets [ ] in hymnals

Back 16

Denotes where the organist may play a short prelude

Front 17

cadenza

Back 17

an elaborate solo passage played or sung freely by a performer. Originally it was an improvised cadence (short)

Front 18

cantabile

Back 18

singable, in a singing or vocal style

Front 19

cantando

Back 19

singing, smooth and flowing

Front 20

cantata

Back 20

music written for chorus and orchestrea. Most often religious in nature

Front 21

canzona

Back 21

Song

Front 22

compound meter

Back 22

Meter that can be broken into 3 subdivisions per beat)

Front 23

con

Back 23

with

Front 24

concerto

Back 24

A composition witten for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.

Front 25

con tutto forza

Back 25

with all force, with all might

Front 26

conductor's box

Back 26

The area where the conductors hands or baton travels

Front 27

conductor's plane

Back 27

The imagined plane (either horizontal or vertical) where the ictus is indicated in conducting patterns

Front 28

crescendo

Back 28

to grow louder

Front 29

cut time

Back 29

To cut the beat in half. 4/4 would be conducted in 2/2

Front 30

Da Capo (D.C.)

Back 30

From the top, Literally "from the head"

Front 31

dal segno al fine (D.S. al fine)

Back 31

from the sign to the end

Front 32

Dal Segno D.S.

Back 32

from the sign

Front 33

decrescendo

Back 33

to gow softer

Front 34

descant

Back 34

a solo line that usually is written above the other parts

Front 35

divisi

Back 35

divided

Front 36

dolce

Back 36

sweetly

Front 37

dynamics

Back 37

pertaining to the loudness or softness of a musical composition. Indicated by symbols (pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff)

Front 38

espressivo

Back 38

expressively

Front 39

fermata

Back 39

to hold a tone or rest beyond the written value.

Front 40

forte (f)

Back 40

loud

Front 41

fortissimo (ff)

Back 41

loudest

Front 42

forza

Back 42

with force

Front 43

grandioso

Back 43

with grandeur, majestically

Front 44

grave

Back 44

heavy, slow, serious (not referring to a burial site)

Front 45

grazioso

Back 45

gracefully, elegantly

Front 46

harmony

Back 46

pleasing combination of two or three + tones played together

Front 47

Ictus

Back 47

the point at which the beat occurs

Front 48

interlude

Back 48

Short movement or phrase connecting the main parts of the composition. (interlude between verses of a hymn)

Front 49

key signature

Back 49

The placement of sharps / flats on the musical staff

Front 50

largo

Back 50

large, broad

Front 51

legato

Back 51

smooth and connected

Front 52

leger lines

Back 52

short horizontal lines above or below the staff used to indicate the pitch of those notes which lie outside of the staff.

Front 53

lento

Back 53

slow

Front 54

ma non troppo

Back 54

but not too fast

Front 55

maestoso

Back 55

majestically

Front 56

marcato

Back 56

well marked and separated

Front 57

measure

Back 57

the distance between two bar lines

Front 58

meno

Back 58

less

Front 59

meter

Back 59

Denoted by a time signature, how many beats in a measure and which beat (or beats) is emphasized

Front 60

metronome

Back 60

An instrument that provides an exact measurement of the speed of pulse or beat

Front 61

mezzo

Back 61

half, mid

Front 62

mezzo forte (mf)

Back 62

half loud

Front 63

mezzo piano (mp)

Back 63

half soft

Front 64

minuet

Back 64

slow and stately dance written in triple time

Front 65

molto

Back 65

much

Front 66

morendo

Back 66

dying away

Front 67

mosso

Back 67

movement

Front 68

NB

Back 68

No breath

Front 69

non

Back 69

not or no

Front 70

obbligato

Back 70

An extended solo, often accompanying the vocal part (typically written higher than the melody)

Front 71

pesante

Back 71

heavy, ponderous

Front 72

pianissimo (pp)

Back 72

softest

Front 73

piano (p)

Back 73

soft

Front 74

piu

Back 74

more

Front 75

piu mosso

Back 75

more movement

Front 76

poco

Back 76

little

Front 77

poco a poco

Back 77

little by little

Front 78

poco piu

Back 78

little more

Front 79

polyphony

Back 79

Combination of two or more melodies sounding simultaneously which harmonize

Front 80

prelude

Back 80

A short piece (composition) that precedes a larger work, or simply the title of an independent composition (ie. Bach's 48 Preludes)

Front 81

quasi

Back 81

almost, as if, nearly, approaching

Front 82

rallentando

Back 82

gowing slower and slower

Front 83

recitato

Back 83

recitative, declamatory style, free in tempo and rhythm (closer to the natural manner of speech)

Front 84

ritardando

Back 84

growing slower and slower

Front 85

ritenuto

Back 85

to hold back, at a slower rate of speed

Front 86

rubato

Back 86

freely, robbed of time

Front 87

sans

Back 87

without

Front 88

SATB

Back 88

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass

Front 89

scherzando

Back 89

jokingly

Front 90

sempre

Back 90

always

Front 91

sforzando (sfz)

Back 91

with special stress

Front 92

solo

Back 92

to perform alone

Front 93

sonata

Back 93

Meaning, "Sounded". The classical Sonata has 4 movements (rapid, slow, minuet, fast)

Front 94

sonore

Back 94

sonorous, deep-toned, clear

Front 95

sostenuto

Back 95

sustained

Front 96

staccato

Back 96

short and detached, well separated

Front 97

subito

Back 97

immediately, suddenly

Front 98

tanto

Back 98

much

Front 99

tempo

Back 99

time, rate of speed, movement of pulse

Front 100

tenuto (ten.)

Back 100

to hold

Front 101

time signature

Back 101

Mathematical ratio that displays beats per measure / the kind of note to receive the beat

Front 102

Unison

Back 102

Sung or played together

Front 103

vigoroso

Back 103

vigorously

Front 104

vite

Back 104

rapid, swift, quick

Front 105

voce

Back 105

voice

Front 106

musical staff

Back 106

The set of 5 horizontal lines - each line representing a pitch, on which music is written

Front 107

bass clef

Back 107

Also known as the F clef, used for baritone and bass voices and lower pitched instruments. The upper curve begins on the F line and circles it. The two dots also go on each side of the F line - hence it is called the F Clef.

Front 108

treble clef

Back 108

Also known as the G clef, used for alto and soprano, and higher pitched instruments. The symbol is a modified letter G. It begins on the second line (G) and circles it - hence it is called the G Clef.