Music Theory

Front 1

adagio

Back 1

Slow (slower than andante, but not as slow as largo)

Front 2

lento

Back 2

Slow

Front 3

largo

Back 3

Very slow and broad

Front 4

larghetto

Back 4

Not as slow as largo

Front 5

andante

Back 5

Moderately slow, at a walking pace

Front 6

andantino

Back 6

A little faster than andante

Front 7

allegretto

Back 7

Fairly fast (a little slower than allegro)

Front 8

moderato

Back 8

At a moderate tempo

Front 9

allegro

Back 9

Fast

Front 10

presto

Back 10

Very fast

Front 11

prestissimo

Back 11

as fast as possible

Front 12

cantabile

Back 12

In a singing style

Front 13

con pedale, Con ped.

Back 13

With pedal

Front 14

D.C. al Fine

Back 14

Repeat from the beginning and end at Fine

Front 15

dolce

Back 15

Sweet

Front 16

fine

Back 16

The end

Front 17

grazioso

Back 17

Graceful

Front 18

legato

Back 18

Smooth

Front 19

maestoso

Back 19

Majestic pace

Front 20

Mano destra, M.D.

Back 20

Right hand

Front 21

mano sinistra, M.S.

Back 21

Left hand

Front 22

marcato

Back 22

Marked or stressed

Front 23

tenuto

Back 23

Held, sustained

Front 24

accelerando

Back 24

Becoming quicker

Front 25

a tempo

Back 25

Return to the original tempo

Front 26

alla

Back 26

In the manner of

Front 27

assai

Back 27

Much, very much (for example, allegro assai: very fast)

Front 28

ben

Back 28

Well

Front 29

col, colla

Back 29

With

Front 30

coll'ottava

Back 30

With an added octave

Front 31

con moto

Back 31

With movement

Front 32

ad libitum

Back 32

At the liberty of the preformer

Front 33

con fuoco

Back 33

With fire

Front 34

giocoso

Back 34

Humorous, jocose

Front 35

pesante

Back 35

Weighty, with emphasis

Front 36

risoluto

Back 36

Resolute

Front 37

ritenuto

Back 37

Suddenly slower, held back

Front 38

scherzando

Back 38

Playful

Front 39

sonore

Back 39

Sonorous

Front 40

sopra

Back 40

Above

Front 41

vivo

Back 41

Lively

Front 42

non

Back 42

Not

Front 43

non troppo

Back 43

Not too much

Front 44

ottava, 8va

Back 44

The interval of an octave

Front 45

più

Back 45

More

Front 46

più mosso

Back 46

More movement

Front 47

poco

Back 47

Little

Front 48

poco a poco

Back 48

Little by little

Front 49

quasi

Back 49

Almost, as if

Front 50

sempre

Back 50

Always, continuously

Front 51

tempo

Back 51

Speed at which music is performed

Front 52

Tempi primo, Tempo 1

Back 52

Return to the original tempo

Front 53

rallentando, rall.

Back 53

Slowing down

Front 54

ritardando, rit.

Back 54

Slow down gradually

Front 55

forte, f

Back 55

Loud

Front 56

Fortissimo, ff

Back 56

Very loud

Front 57

Mezzo forte, mf

Back 57

Moderately loud

Front 58

Mezzo piano, mp

Back 58

Moderately soft

Front 59

Piano, p

Back 59

Soft

Front 60

Pianissimo, pp

Back 60

Very soft

Front 61

Rubato

Back 61

A flexible Tempo, using slight variations of speed to enhance musical expression

Front 62

Senza

Back 62

Without

Front 63

Tenuto

Back 63

Held, sustained

Front 64

Troppo

Back 64

Too much

Front 65

Una corda

Back 65

One string, depress the left pedal

Front 66

Vivace

Back 66

Lively, brisk

Front 67

Cédez

Back 67

Yield; hold back the Tempo

Front 68

Lentement

Back 68

Slowly

Front 69

Modéré

Back 69

At a moderate Tempo

Front 70

Vite

Back 70

Fast

Front 71

Léger

Back 71

Lightly

Front 72

Mouvement

Back 72

Tempo, motion

Front 73

Agitato

Back 73

Agitated

Front 74

Arco

Back 74

For stringed instruments: resume bowing after a pizzicato passage

Front 75

Calando

Back 75

Becoming slower and softer

Front 76

Con grazia

Back 76

With grace

Front 77

Dolente

Back 77

Sad

Front 78

Grandioso

Back 78

Grand

Front 79

Martellato

Back 79

Strongly accented, hammered

Front 80

Pizzicato

Back 80

For stringed instruments: pluck the string instead of bowing

Front 81

Quindicesima alta (15ma)

Back 81

Two octaves higher

Front 82

Secondo, seconda

Back 82

Second; second or lower part of a duet

Front 83

Simplice

Back 83

Simple

Front 84

Accent

Back 84

Stressed note or chord

Front 85

Animato

Back 85

Lively, animated

Front 86

Attacca

Back 86

Proceed without a break

Front 87

Bewegt

Back 87

Agitated, excited

Front 88

Brillante

Back 88

Brilliant

Front 89

Cluster

Back 89

Chord consisting of a combination of at least three agjacent notes of any scale

Front 90

Allargando, allarg.

Back 90

Broadening, becoming slower

Front 91

Comodo, commodo

Back 91

At a comfortable easy tempo

Front 92

Con

Back 92

With

Front 93

Con brio

Back 93

With vigor or spirit

Front 94

Con espressione

Back 94

With expression

Front 95

Con sordino

Back 95

With mute

Front 96

Crescendo, cresc.

Back 96

Becoming louder

Front 97

Da capo, D.C.

Back 97

From the beginning

Front 98

Dal segno, D.S. al

Back 98

From the sign

Front 99

Decrescendo, decresc.

Back 99

Becoming softer

Front 100

Diminuendo, dim.

Back 100

Becoming softer

Front 101

e, ed

Back 101

And

Front 102

Espressivo

Back 102

Expression, with expression

Front 103

Fermata

Back 103

Pause; hold note our rest longer than the written value

Front 104

Grave

Back 104

Slow and solemn

Front 105

Langsam

Back 105

Slow

Front 106

Largamente

Back 106

Broadly

Front 107

Leggiero

Back 107

Light, nimble, quick

Front 108

L'istesso tempo

Back 108

The same tempo

Front 109

Loco

Back 109

Return to normal register

Front 110

Fortepiano

Back 110

Loud then suddenly soft

Front 111

Ma

Back 111

But (for example, ma non troppo: but not too much)

Front 112

Mässig

Back 112

Moderate, moderately

Front 113

Meno

Back 113

Less

Front 114

Meno mosso

Back 114

Less movement, slower

Front 115

Mesto

Back 115

Sad, mournful

Front 116

Mit

Back 116

With

Front 117

mit Ausdruck

Back 117

With expression

Front 118

M.M.

Back 118

Metronome marking (Maelzel's Metronome)

Front 119

Molto

Back 119

Much, very

Front 120

Morendo

Back 120

Dying, fading away

Front 121

Back 121

Play one octave above the written pitch

Front 122

Back 122

Play one octave below the written pitch

Front 123

Pedale, ped.

Back 123

Pedal

Front 124

Polychord

Back 124

Combination of two or more different chords

Front 125

Prima, primo

Back 125

First; the upper part of a duet

Front 126

Prima volta

Back 126

First time

Front 127

Quartal chord

Back 127

Chord built on a series of 4ths

Front 128

Repeat signs

Back 128

Repeat the music between the signs

Front 129

Schnell

Back 129

Fast

Front 130

Seconda Volta

Back 130

Second time

Front 131

Sehr

Back 131

Very

Front 132

Seventh (7th) chords

Back 132

Chords consisting of a root, third, fifth, and seventh

Front 133

sforzando

Back 133

A sudden strong accent of a single note or chord

Front 134

simile

Back 134

Continue in the same manner as indicated

Front 135

Slur

Back 135

Play the notes legato

Front 136

sostenuto

Back 136

Sustained

Front 137

sotto voce

Back 137

Softly, subdued, under the breath

Front 138

spiritoso

Back 138

Spirited

Front 139

staccato

Back 139

Detached

Front 140

stringendo

Back 140

Pressing, becoming faster

Front 141

subito

Back 141

Suddenly

Front 142

tacet

Back 142

Be silent

Front 143

tie

Back 143

Hold for the combined value of the notes

Front 144

tranquillo

Back 144

Quiet, tranquil

Front 145

tre corde

Back 145

Three strings: release the left piano pedel

Front 146

Triad

Back 146

Chord consisting of a root, third, and fifth

Front 147

tutti

Back 147

A passage for the entire ensemble

Front 148

Volta

Back 148

Time

Front 149

Volti subito, v.s.

Back 149

Turn the page quickly

Front 150

Accidental

Back 150

A symbol placd in front of a note that raises or lowers it's pitch

Front 151

alla breve

Back 151

Cut time, another name for the time signature 2/2

Front 152

Alto clef

Back 152

A clef that indicates the location of middle C on the third line of the staff

Front 153

Augmented interval

Back 153

an interval that is one chromatic semitone larger than the equivalent major or perfect interval

Front 154

Augmented triad

Back 154

A three-note chord consisting of a major 3rd and an augmented 5th above the root

Front 155

Bar line

Back 155

A vertical line that divides the staff into measures

Front 156

Bass clef

Back 156

The clef that indicates the location of F on the fourth line of the staff

Front 157

Beam

Back 157

A horizontal line that connects two or more eighth, sixteenth, or thirty-second notes

Front 158

Breve

Back 158

Double whole note: in 4/2 time, a note equal to four beats

Front 159

Blues scale

Back 159

A major scale in which the 3rd, the 7th, and sometimes the 5th degrees are lowered

Front 160

C clef

Back 160

A clef that indicates the location of middle C on a line of the staff

Front 161

Cadence

Back 161

Two chords ot implied harmonies that end a phrase of music, creating a place of rest

Front 162

Chorale style

Back 162

A style of written music for four distinct voices: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass (SATB)

Front 163

Chord

Back 163

A combination of notes that are played together

Front 164

Chromatic scale

Back 164

A scale made up of only semitones

Front 165

Chromatic semitone

Back 165

A semitone that consists of two notes with the same letter name (for example G-G#)

Front 166

Circle of fifths

Back 166

A diagram that shows how keys are related by perfect 5ths

Front 167

Clef

Back 167

The sign placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate the location of notes

Front 168

Close position

Back 168

A position of a chord in which the notes are as close together as possible

Front 169

Common time

Back 169

Another name for the time signature 4/4

Front 170

Compound duple time

Back 170

Time signatures that indicate two beats in each measure--- for example, 6/4, 6/8,6/16---- where each best is divisible by three

Front 171

Compound interval

Back 171

An interval that is larger than an octave

Front 172

Compound quadruple time

Back 172

Time signatures that indicate four beats in each measure--- for example 12/4,12/8,12/16--- where each beat is divisible by three

Front 173

Compound time

Back 173

Time signatures in which each beat is divisible by three

Front 174

Compound triple time

Back 174

Time signatures that indicate three beats in each measure--- for example, 9/4,9/8,9/16--- where each beat is divisible by three

Front 175

Diatonic semitone

Back 175

A semitone that consists of two notes with different letter names (for example, G-Ab)

Front 176

Diminished interval

Back 176

An interval that is one chromatic semitone smaller than the equivalent minor or perfect interval

Front 177

Diminished triad

Back 177

A three-note chord consisting of a minor 3rd and a diminished 5th above the root

Front 178

Dominant 7th chord

Back 178

A four-note chord consisting of a major dominant triad plus a minor 7th above the root

Front 179

Double flat

Back 179

The sign that lowers the pitch of a note one whole tone

Front 180

Double sharp

Back 180

The sign that raises the pitch of a note one whole tone

Front 181

Double whole tone, breve

Back 181

In 4/2 time, a note equal to four beats

Front 182

Duplet

Back 182

In compound time, a group of two notes that are played in the time of three notes of the same value

Front 183

enharmonic/enharmonic change

Back 183

Describes notes of the same pitch that are named differently/a change in note without a change in pitch

Front 184

First inversion

Back 184

The position of a chord when the third is the lowest note

Front 185

Grand staff

Back 185

The combination of the treble and bass staves

Front 186

Harmonic interval

Back 186

The distance between two notes played at the same time

Front 187

Harmonic minor scale

Back 187

A scale formed by raising the seventh degree of the natural minor scale.

Front 188

Hybrid meter

Back 188

A time signature that combines simple time and compound time (for example, 5/7,7/8)

Front 189

Imitation

Back 189

The repitition of a motive, complete music idea, in another voice or clef

Front 190

Imperfect cadence

Back 190

A cadence that ends on the dominant (V) chord

Front 191

Major triad

Back 191

A three-note chord that consists of a major third and a perfect fifth above the root