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This article is missing information about several Italian terms included in the page Musical terminology and not found here. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(July 2023)
Many musical terms are in Italian because, in Europe, the vast majority of the most important early composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque period were Italian.[citation needed] That period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time.[1]
In a fugue, the repeating of a motif by a second voice before the first rendition is completed
Directionsedit
Italian term
Literal translation
Definition
Attacca
attach, begin
Proceed to the next section without pause
Cambiare
change
Any change, such as to a new instrument
Da Capo (al fine)
from the beginning (to the "fine")
Abbreviated as D.C., informs the performer to go back to the beginning (capo) (finishing where the part is marked fine).
Dal Segno
from the sign
Abbreviated as D.S., informs the performer to repeat a specific section marked by a sign (segno).
Divisi
divided
Instructs one section to divide into two or more separate sections, each playing a separate part. Often these separate parts are written on the same staff.
Oppure
from o ("or") + pure ("also")
Informs the player of alternative ways to play a passage. See Ossia.
A type of ornament that creates a "yearning" effect
Arco
bow
Cancels col legno and pizzicato. (In any string passage, arco is usually expected, as it is the "default" approach; it is only ever written at the end of col legno or pizzicato passages.)
Smaller, more virtuosic group of musicians in a concerto grosso
Convenienze
conveniences
Rules relating to the ranking of singers in opera (primo, secondo, comprimario) in 19th-century Italianopera, and the number of scenes, arias, etc. that they were entitled to expect.[2] The convenienze are referred to in the Donizetti opera Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali.
A cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer. (Masc. pl. bravi; fem. sing. brava; fem. pl. brave.) The use of ! after a written expression of "bravo/a/i/e(!)" strongly emphasizes it.
^Nuccio, Giovanni. "Why Is Italian the Language of Music?". Happy Languages. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
^Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN0-19-869164-5
External linksedit
8notes glossary
January 01, 1970
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For a general non specific list of terms see Musical terminology This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items July 2023 This article is missing information about several Italian terms included in the page Musical terminology and not found here Please expand the article to include this information Further details may exist on the talk page July 2023 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources List of Italian musical terms used in English news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Many musical terms are in Italian because in Europe the vast majority of the most important early composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque period were Italian citation needed That period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time 1 Contents 1 Italian terms and English translations 2 Musical instruments 3 Voices 4 Tempo 5 Dynamics volume 6 Moods 7 Musical expression general 8 Patterns within the musical score 9 Directions 10 Techniques 11 Roles 12 Criticism 13 Musical direction and staging 14 See also 15 References 16 External linksItalian terms and English translations editItalian term Literal translation Definition A cappella in chapel style Sung with no instrumental accompaniment has much harmonizing Aria air Piece of music usually for a singer Aria di sorbetto sorbet air A short solo performed by a secondary character in the opera Arietta little air A short or light aria Arioso airy A type of solo opera or operetta Ballabile danceable song to be danced to Battaglia battle An instrumental or vocal piece suggesting a battle Bergamasca from Bergamo A peasant dance from Bergamo Burletta a little joke A light comic or farcical opera Cabaletta from copola couplet A two part musical form Cadenza falling A florid solo at the end of a performance Cantata sung A piece for orchestra and singers Capriccio caprice A lively piece free in form often used to show musical skill Cavatina small instrumental tone A simple melody or song Coda tail The end of a piece Concerto concert A work for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an orchestra Concertino little concert A short concerto the solo instrument in a concerto Concerto grosso big concert A Baroque form of concerto with a group of solo instruments Da capo aria from the head aria A three section musical form Dramma giocoso jocular drama A form of opera Dramma per musica drama for music Libretto Fantasia fantasy A musical composition or idea typified by improvisation Farsa farce A one act comical opera Festa teatrale theatrical party A genre of opera Fioritura flowery A highly embellished vocal line Intermedio intermediate A short connecting instrumental movement an intermezzo Intermezzo interval A short connecting instrumental movement Libretto little book A work containing the words to an opera musical or ballet Melodramma melodrama A style of opera Opera work A drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists Opera buffa humorous opera A comic opera Opera semiseria semi serious opera A variety of opera Opera seria serious opera An opera with a serious esp classical theme Operetta little opera A variety of light opera Oratorio oratory Large musical composition for orchestra choir and soloists Pasticcio pastiche A musical piece containing works by different composers Ripieno concerto padding concert A form of Baroque concerto with no solo parts Serenata Serenade A song or composition in someone s honour Originally a musical greeting performed for a lover Soggetto cavato carved subject A musical cryptogram using coded syllables as a basis for the composition Sonata sounded A composition for one or two instruments in sonata form Verismo realism A genre of operas with scenarios based on contemporary everyday lifeMusical instruments editItalian term Literal translation Definition Campana bell A bell used in an orchestra also campane bells Cornetto little horn An old woodwind instrument Fagotto bundle A bassoon a woodwind instrument played with a double reed Orchestra orchestra orig Greek orkesthai dance An ensemble of instruments Piano forte soft loud A keyboard instrument Piccolo little A tiny woodwind instrument Sordun deaf dull in sound An archaic double reed wind instrument Timpani drums Large drums Tuba tube A large brass instrument Viola viola orig Latin vitulari be joyful A medium sized stringed instrument Viola d amore love viola A tenor viol with no frets Viola da braccio arm viola A stringed instrument held in the arm such as a violin or viola Viola da gamba leg viola A stringed instrument held between the legs Violoncello Violoncello was the original name for a cello A large stringed instrumentVoices editItalian term Literal translation Definition Alto high Second highest vocal line Basso low Or bass the lowest vocal line Basso profondo deep low A very deep bass voice Castrato castrated A male singer castrated before puberty so as to be able to sing soprano now sung by women conventional countertenors or sopranisti Coloratura soprano colouring soprano A soprano specialised in complex ornamented melody Contralto against high Alto esp a female alto Falsetto little false A vocal register immediately above the modal voice range Falsettone Falsetto sung using the usual techniques of modal voice register Leggiero tenor See tenore di grazia Musico musician Originally a trained musician later a castrato or female singer Mezzo soprano middle upper Between soprano and alto Passaggio crossing A vocal range Soprano upper The highest vocal line Soprano sfogato unlimited soprano A soprano who has extended her upper range beyond the usual range of a soprano Spinto pushed A forceful voice between the lyric and dramatic in weight Spinto soprano pushed soprano A soprano whose voice while normally of lyric weight and fluidity can be pushed to a more forceful weight Squillo ringing The resonant clarity of an operatic singer s voice Tenore contraltino A tenor voice capable of a slightly higher range of sustainable notes than usual Tenore di grazia or Leggiero tenor tenor of grace or lightweight tenor A lightweight flexible tenor voice Tessitura texture A singer s comfortable rangeTempo editItalian term Literal translation Definition Accelerando accelerating Accelerating Accompagnato accompanied The accompaniment must follow the singer who can speed up or slow down at will Adagio ad agio at ease Slow and easy but not as slow as largo Adagietto a bit at ease 1 Slightly less easy than adagio so slightly faster 2 a short adagio composition Affrettando becoming hurried Accelerating Alla marcia as a march In strict tempo at a marching pace e g 120 BPM Allargando broadening Slowing down and broadening becoming more stately and majestic possibly louder Allegro joyful lively and fast Joyful moderately fast tempo Allegretto a little bit joyful Slightly less joyful than allegro so slightly slower tempo Andante walking At a walking pace flowing moderately slow tempo Andantino a little bit walking Less of a walking pace than andante so slightly quicker A tempo to time Return to previous tempo Fermata held stopped orig Latin firmo make firm fortify Holding or sustaining a note Grave grave solemn Slow and solemn tempo slower than largo Largo broad Slow and dignified tempo Largamente broadly Slow and dignified tempo Larghetto broad ish Slightly less dignified than largo so slightly faster tempo Lento slow Slow tempo Lentando slowing Decelerating slowing down L istesso tempo the same time At the same tempo Moderato moderate Moderate tempo Mosso moved agitated Agitated Presto prompt quick ready for action Very fast Prestissimo very prompt very quick Very very fast above 200 BPM Rallentando slowing down Decelerating Ritardando retarding Decelerating Tardo slow tardy Slow tempo Tempo time The speed of music e g 120 BPM beats per minute Tempo rubato robbed Free flowing and exempt from steady rhythm Tenuto sustained Holding or sustaining a single note Vivace vivacious Fast and lively tempo quicker than allegro Dynamics volume editItalian term Literal translation Definition Calando quietening Becoming softer and slower Crescendo growing Becoming louder Decrescendo shrinking Becoming softer Diminuendo dwindling Becoming softer Forte strong Loud Fortissimo very strong Very loud Mezzo forte half strong Moderately loud Marcato marked A note played forcefully Messa di voce placing the voice A style of singing involving changing volume while holding a single note Piano gentle Soft Pianissimo very gentle Very soft Mezzo piano half gentle Moderately soft Sforzando strained Sharply accented Stentato in the manner of Stentor Loud boisterous Tremolo trembling A rapid repetitive variation in the volume or pitch of a toneMoods editItalian term Literal translation Musical definition Affettuoso with feeling Tenderly Agitato agitated moved Excited and fast Animato animated Animated fast Brillante brilliant Brilliant radiant bright Bruscamente brusquely Abruptly Cantabile singable In a singing style Colossale colossal In a fashion which suggests immensity Comodo convenient Comfortably moderately Con amore with love With love Con brio with power With vigour Con fuoco with fire Passionate powerful enthusiastic Con moto with movement With movement with energy spirited Con spirito with spirit Vigorous spirited Deciso firm resolute Decisive determined Dolce sweet Softly sweetly Drammatico dramatic Dramatic Espressivo expressive Expressive Feroce ferocious Fierce heavy Festoso happy Festive jolly Furioso furious Angry hasty Giocoso playful Merry spirited playful Grandioso great grandiose Broad noble great Grazioso gracious graceful Graceful or charming Lacrimoso lachrymose teary Tearfully sadly Lamentoso Plaintively Sadly Mournfully Sorrowly Maestoso majestic Stately broad Misterioso mysterious Mysteriously secretively enigmatic Morendo dying Dying away Pesante heavy Heavy slowly weightily Risoluto resolved Resolved decisive Scherzando playful joking Playful lively Solitario lonely Lonely alone Sotto voce under voice subdued voice Subdued hushed Sonore loud resonant Full broad Semplicemente simply Simply Slancio passionately hurl or fling lance Enthusiastic Tranquillo calm tranquil Calm soft peaceful Vivace vivacious Up tempo lively Volante flying Fast lightMusical expression general editItalian term Literal translation Usage Molto very much Comes before other terms e g molto allegro very cheerful Assai very aplenty Comes after other terms e g allegro assai very cheerful Piu more Comes before other terms e g piu mosso more moved agitated Poco little Comes before other terms e g poco diminuendo a little diminishing poco a poco little by little Slowly but steadily Comes before other terms e g poco a poco crescendo increasing little by little ma non tanto but not so much Comes after other terms e g adagio ma non tanto not quite at ease ma non troppo but not too much Comes after other terms e g allegro ma non troppo not too joyful Meno less Comes before other terms such as meno mosso less moved agitated Subito suddenly quickly Comes before or after other terms e g subito fortissimo suddenly very loud Patterns within the musical score editItalian term Literal translation Definition Lacuna gap A silent pause in a piece of music Ossia from o or sia that it be A secondary passage of music which may be played in place of the original Ostinato stubborn obstinate A repeated motif or phrase in a piece of music Pensato thought out A composed imaginary note Ritornello little return A recurring passage in a piece of Baroque music Segue it follows A smooth movement from one passage to another with no pause Stretto tightened strict In a fugue the repeating of a motif by a second voice before the first rendition is completedDirections editItalian term Literal translation Definition Attacca attach begin Proceed to the next section without pause Cambiare change Any change such as to a new instrument Da Capo al fine from the beginning to the fine Abbreviated as D C informs the performer to go back to the beginning capo finishing where the part is marked fine Dal Segno from the sign Abbreviated as D S informs the performer to repeat a specific section marked by a sign segno Divisi divided Instructs one section to divide into two or more separate sections each playing a separate part Often these separate parts are written on the same staff Oppure from o or pure also Informs the player of alternative ways to play a passage See Ossia Solo alone A piece or performance to be played by a single musician Sole Group solo A piece or performance to be played by a designated groupTechniques editItalian term Literal translation Definition Acciaccatura crunching An extra very fast grace note Altissimo very high Very high Appoggiatura leaning supporting A type of ornament that creates a yearning effect Arco bow Cancels col legno and pizzicato In any string passage arco is usually expected as it is the default approach it is only ever written at the end of col legno or pizzicato passages Arpeggio harp like A chord with the notes spread out in time rather than sounded simultaneously Basso continuo continuous bass Continuous bass accompaniment by chordal instrument s and bass instrument s see figured bass A bocca chiusa in closed mouth Wordless humming in a choral piece Chiuso closed Calls for a horn to be muted by hand Coloratura colouration Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line Coperti covered Of a drum muted with a cloth Una corda one string cord On a piano played with the soft pedal depressed Due corde two strings On a piano played with the soft pedal depressed For why both terms exist see Piano Pedals Tre corde or tutte le corde three strings or all the strings Cancels una corda Glissando gliding glossing A sweeping glide from one pitch to another used for dramatic effect Legato tied A series of notes played with a smooth connection between them Col legno with the wood Calls for a bowed instrument s strings to be struck with the wood of the bow rather than drawn across with the hair of the bow Martellato hammered Of notes strongly accented and detached Pizzicato pinched plucked Calls for a bowed instrument s strings to be plucked with the fingers Portamento carrying Playing with a sliding of pitch between two notes Portato carried Played in a style between staccato and legato Sforzando forcing Playing with strong marked emphasis Scordatura discord Alternate tuning of strings Con sordino with sourdine mute With mute applied esp to string instruments Senza sordino without sourdine mute With mute removed Spiccato separated distinct standing out With a stringed instrument played by bouncing the bow lightly on the strings Staccato detached A form of musical articulation in which notes are distinct and separated from each other by short gaps Staccatissimo very detached Forcefully exaggerated staccato Tutti all Played or sung by the entire ensemble rather than by just a soloist or principal player Vibrato vibrating Played with rapid repetitive variation or undulation in pitch Colla voce with the voice For accompanists In time with the singer s text especially when slowing for textual effectRoles editItalian term Literal translation Definition Banda band Small music ensemble used as a supplement to the orchestra in an opera Comprimario with the first Supporting role Concertino little concert Smaller more virtuosic group of musicians in a concerto grosso Convenienze conveniences Rules relating to the ranking of singers in opera primo secondo comprimario in 19th century Italian opera and the number of scenes arias etc that they were entitled to expect 2 The convenienze are referred to in the Donizetti opera Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali Coro choir Ensemble of singers Diva divine one fem Leading female singer Prima donna first lady Leading female role Primo uomo first man Leading male role Ripieno refilling or stuffing The larger group of musicians in a concerto grossoCriticism editItalian term Literal translation Definition Bel canto beautiful singing Any fine singing esp that popular in 18th and 19th century Italian opera Bravura skill A performance of extraordinary virtuosity Bravo skillful A cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer Masc pl bravi fem sing brava fem pl brave The use of after a written expression of bravo a i e strongly emphasizes it Musical direction and staging editItalian term Literal translation Definition Maestro master teacher Conductor music director music teacher also composer and other eminent musicians and singers Maestro collaboratore collaborating master Assistant conductor Maestro sostituto substitute deputy master Assistant conductor Maestro suggeritore master suggester prompter Prompter Stagione season A variety of formal organisation of players and crew in the staging of operasSee also editMusical terminology Sheet musicReferences edit Nuccio Giovanni Why Is Italian the Language of Music Happy Languages Retrieved 25 November 2020 Warrack John and West Ewan 1992 The Oxford Dictionary of Opera 782 pages ISBN 0 19 869164 5External links edit8notes glossary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of Italian musical terms used in English amp oldid 1200368964, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
