Music Terms

Front 1

a due (a 2)

Back 1

to be played by both, as by first and second flute

Front 2

avec

Back 2

with

Front 3

colla parte

Back 3

with the other part; often refers to accommodating the soloist at that place in the score

Front 4

come prima

Back 4

as before

Front 5

con

Back 5

with; seen in other forms as a contraction with the article in Italian, thus: col, coi, colle, cogli, colla (depending upon the gender and the number)

Front 6

en dehors

Back 6

out in fron of; means the part so marked should be projected through the ensemble; it must be heard

Front 7

erstes mal

Back 7

the first time

Front 8

etwas

Back 8

somewhat

Front 9

forte possibile

Back 9

as loud as possible

Front 10

frappe; frapper

Back 10

the downbeat; to beat time

Front 11

gleich

Back 11

quickly

Front 12

glissez; glisser

Back 12

slide; to slide

Front 13

immer

Back 13

always

Front 14

l'istesso (lo stesso)

Back 14

the same; used usually with the word tempo. meaning that the new part should be in the same tempo as the preceding part

Front 15

marcato

Back 15

marked, accented

Front 16

meno

Back 16

less

Front 17

mezzo

Back 17

half; usually mezza voce, softly

Front 18

modo

Back 18

style, manner

Front 19

morendo

Back 19

dying away

Front 20

moto

Back 20

motion

Front 21

murkey bass

Back 21

broken octabes, lower note coming first

Front 22

muta

Back 22

change; usually reads muta in _______, meaning change the instrument to the pitch designated. Most often seen in timpani and French horn parts

Front 23

ohne

Back 23

without; usually ohne Dampfer, without mute

Front 24

ossia

Back 24

otherwise; often refers to a simplified part-otherwise do it so

Front 25

partitur; partitura

Back 25

full score

Front 26

petit

Back 26

little

Front 27

peu

Back 27

a little

Front 28

piacere, a piacere

Back 28

at pleasure, denoting a passage executed at the discretion of the performer

Front 29

pieno

Back 29

full

Front 30

piu

Back 30

more; most often seen with mosso, meaning more motion, slightly quicekn the tempo. Also, plus

Front 31

pult

Back 31

desk, a music stand, Usually refers to number of stands that are to play the part

Front 32

ripieno

Back 32

similar to tutti, it distinguishes the accompanying instruments from the soloist

Front 33

ruhig

Back 33

tranquil

Front 34

sans

Back 34

without

Front 35

schnell

Back 35

quick, rapid, presto

Front 36

sciolto

Back 36

fluently

Front 37

scordatura

Back 37

tuning contrary to the normal, addressed to the strings

Front 38

sec, secco

Back 38

dry, very short, no after-ring

Front 39

segue

Back 39

follow, continue in the same manner

Front 40

sehr

Back 40

very

Front 41

senza

Back 41

without; usually senza sordini, without mutes

Front 42

smorzando

Back 42

suddenly dying away

Front 43

sotto voce

Back 43

in an undertone, soft voice

Front 44

spianar la voce

Back 44

with smooth voice

Front 45

stentato

Back 45

labored

Front 46

stimme

Back 46

a single voice or part in the score

Front 47

strepitoso

Back 47

noisily

Front 48

strisciando, strisciato

Back 48

legato motion, smooth

Front 49

subito

Back 49

suddenly, referring to a dynamic change

Front 50

troppo

Back 50

too much

Front 51

tutti

Back 51

the whole ensemble, everybody

Front 52

unisoni

Back 52

in unison; as violini unisoni, all violins in unison

Front 53

vide

Back 53

a cut; VI is printed where the cut starts and DE is shown at the end of the cut, thus VI...DE

Front 54

virgula

Back 54

the old terminology for the baton

Front 55

voci pari

Back 55

equal voices

Front 56

accelerando

Back 56

gradually increasing the tempo

Front 57

ad libitum

Back 57

at liberty; take time, permit liberties here

Front 58

affrettando

Back 58

excitedly, increasing the tempo

Front 59

a punto

Back 59

exactly in rhythm

Front 60

con alcuna licenza

Back 60

with some license; not perfectly rhythmic

Front 61

etwas langsamer

Back 61

somewhat slower

Front 62

im takt

Back 62

in tempo

Front 63

langsam, langsamer

Back 63

slow, slower

Front 64

massig

Back 64

moderato

Front 65

pressando

Back 65

hurrying, pressing forward

Front 66

rythme

Back 66

rhythmic feeling emphasized

Front 67

rubato

Back 67

varying the note values within the rhythm, not strictly as written

Front 68

stretto

Back 68

condensing, accelerating the tempo. (Do not confuse with the stretto of the fugue form, which is only a condensing of the distance between subject and answer.)

Front 69

stringendo

Back 69

accelerating the tempo

Front 70

suivez

Back 70

follow; usually refers to following the soloist who may take some liberties with the tempo for expression

Front 71

tacet

Back 71

silent; usually means the particular instrument does not play in that movement of the work

Front 72

taglio

Back 72

a cut

Front 73

takt

Back 73

the time, the measure, rhythmically; sometimes, an accenting of the first beat in the measure

Front 74

tempo rubato

Back 74

not strictly in tempo

Front 75

zuruckhalten

Back 75

literally, holding back. ritard.

Front 76

am steg

Back 76

on or near the bridge

Front 77

a punta d'arco

Back 77

at the point of the bow

Front 78

archet

Back 78

bow, with the bow

Front 79

arco

Back 79

bow, with the bow

Front 80

col legno

Back 80

with the stick of the bow; usually performed by striking the strings with the stick of the bow

Front 81

con sordini

Back 81

with mutes

Front 82

dampfer

Back 82

mute; usually mit dampfer, with mute, or ohne dampfer, without mute. Often seen as gedampft (stopped) in horn parts. Also means without snares

Front 83

first treble; second treble

Back 83

first soprano; second soprano

Front 84

legno

Back 84

wood (of the bow)

Front 85

otez

Back 85

remove (the mute)

Front 86

paukenschlagel

Back 86

the timpani stick

Front 87

ponticello

Back 87

on or near the bridge. Depending on bow placement and stroke, this results in a light, shimmering effect, or a harsh abrasive sound in later works

Front 88

sordino

Back 88

mute; also sourdine

Front 89

spitze

Back 89

point of the bow

Front 90

steg

Back 90

bridge

Front 91

stimmung

Back 91

the tuning

Front 92

sulla tastiera; sul tasto

Back 92

on the fingerboard; a command to bow the string just over the end of the fingerboard for a light, flutelike tone

Front 93

sur la touche

Back 93

on the fingerboard, same as sulla tastiera

Front 94

sur le chevalet

Back 94

literally, "on the little (wooden) horse," bowed very close to the bridge, ponticello

Front 95

sur une corde

Back 95

on one string; the melody to be played entirely on one string. The German word for string is saite

Front 96

ton bouche

Back 96

stopped tone in French horn playing. Referes to plucking the string with the left hand when used in string music, and to playing the notes so marked as stopped tones on the French horns when given in their parts.

Front 97

coperti

Back 97

covered, muffled

Front 98

etouffe

Back 98

dampened; also found in harp and horn parts

Front 99

laisser vibrer; lasciare vibrare

Back 99

to let ring

Front 100

nadel

Back 100

mit dem = played with a knitting needle

Front 101

schwam

Back 101

aus = made of sponge, soft stick

Front 102

scordate

Back 102

tuned, no snares

Front 103

secoue

Back 103

rubbed, struck

Front 104

skin

Back 104

membrana, peau, fell, parche

Front 105

snares

Back 105

with = con, mit, avec. Without = sand, ohne, senza. Snares = timbres, cordes, Schnarren

Front 106

wire brush

Back 106

spazzole, brosso, scavolo di ferro, spazzola di ferro, balais, ballai metalique, cepillos metal, rute, and verga or veghe (as in Peter and the Wolf)

Front 107

on the rim

Back 107

au ribord, al cerchio

Front 108

on the edge

Back 108

au bord, am Rand

Front 109

close to the rim

Back 109

pres du rebord

Front 110

at the center

Back 110

au centre, au milieu

Front 111

with the thumb

Back 111

avec la pouce, mit dem Daumen

Front 112

with the knuckles

Back 112

colle nocce, mit dem Knochein

Front 113

with the fist

Back 113

mit der Faust

Front 114

on the knee (tambourine)

Back 114

sur la genour

Front 115

antique

Back 115

crotales

Front 116

attached

Back 116

befestigt

Front 117

crash

Back 117

tellern, platos, piatti

Front 118

suspended

Back 118

cymbale sospendue, frei, hangend, sospeso