The Bromfield School Music Department Terms Page
8/29/08 11:36 AM
The Bromfield School Music Department
MUSICAL TERMS SECTION
All students are expected to know the definitions of 112 musical terms which represent different
musical concepts. Please consult the list below which provides both the terms and their definitions.
1. A TEMPO - Indicates return to normal or original tempo.
2. ACCELERANDO - To become faster.
3. ACCENT - A sign which indicates that a note needs to have a certain amount of stress applied to
it.
4. ADAGIO - A designation for a slow tempo, between andante and largo.
5. AGITATO - Agitated, excited.
6. ALLA MARCIA - In the manner of a march.
7. ALLARGANDO - Slowing down.
8. ALLE BREVE - Cut time.
9. ALLEGRETTO - A fast tempo between andante and allegro.
10. ALLEGRO - General indication for a fast speed.
11. ALTO - Medium High Voice.
12. ANDANTE - Tempo marking indicating very moderate walking speed, between allegretto and
adagio.
13. ANIMOSO - In a lively manner.
14. ARPEGGIO - Notes of a chord/triad played individually horizontally instead of vertically in
harmony.
15. ARTICULATION - A description of the manner in which a sound is produced in the areas of
attack, sustain, and decay.
16. BARITONE - Low Voice between Bass and Tenor.
17. BASS - Low Voice.
18. CADENZA - An ornamental/improvisational passage near the end of a solo.
19. CANTABILE - In a singing style.
20. CHORD - Several notes sounding together concurrently to form harmony.
21. CLEF - A sign which assigns specific notes to a staff.
22. CON BRIO - With vigor and spirit.
23. CRESCENDO - The usual term for increasing volume.
24. DA CAPO - Go back to the beginning of a piece.
25. DAL SEGNO - Go back to the sign in the piece.
26. DECRESCENDO - The usual term for decreasing volume.
27. DETACHEE - Notes performed in a detached manner.
28. DIMINUENDO - To diminish or get softer.
29. DIVISI - Separated by top and bottom notes.
30. DOLCE - Sweetly, softly.
31. DOUBLE FLAT - Lowers pitch one full step.
32. DOUBLE SHARP - Raises pitch one full step.
33. DUPLET - A rhythmic figure based upon two notes.
34. DYNAMICS - Refers to loudness and softness of musical sounds.
35. EMBOUCHURE - Unique mouth/jaw formation for a wind instrument.
36. ESPRESSIVO - Expressively.
37. FERMATA - A pause or hold.
38. FINE - End.
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The Bromfield School Music Department Terms Page
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38. FINE - End.
39. FLAT - Lowers pitch one-half step.
40. FORTE - Loud.
41. GRACE NOTE - A musical ornamentation symbol.
42. GRAVE - Grave, solemn.
43. GRAZIOSO - Gracefully.
44. IMPROVISATION - Free, spontaneous performance not confined to specific musical notation.
45. INTERVAL - The distance between two notes.
46. INTONATION - The science of musical pitch awareness in the pursuit of playing "in tune".
47. KEY - The scale/mode or pitch around which a piece of music is based.
48. L'ISTESSO TEMPO - The same speed or tempo.
49. LARGO - Very slow in tempo, usually combined with great expressiveness.
50. LEGATO - Articulating notes in a long, smooth, flowing manner.
51. LEGGIERO - Light, nimble.
52. LENTO - Slow.
53. M.M. - Maelzel's Metronome marking - an indication of speed or tempo.
54. MAESTOSO - Majestic.
55. MARCATO - Marked or accented.
56. MEASURE - A unit of time gauging sound and/or silence usually organized in numbers of
beats.
57. MENO MOSSO - Less quickly, slower.
58. METER SIGNATURE - Numeric symbol indicating number of beats per measure and note unit
receiving single beat.
59. MEZZO - Medium.
60. MODERATO - A moderate speed, between andante and allegro.
61. MOLTO - Very.
62. MORDENT -An ornamental turn using notes a step higher and lower around a primary note.
63. MORENDO - Fading away, dying away.
64. NATURAL SIGN - Returns note to natural pitch from flat or sharp.
65. OCTAVE - A span of 8 notes comprised of 12 semi-tones.
66. PENTATONIC - Five note scale.
67. PESANTE - Heavy.
68. PIANO - Soft.
69. PIU - More.
70. POCO A POCO - Little by little.
71. POLYHARMONY - Multiple harmonies sounding simultaneously.
72. POLYRHYTHM - Multiple rhythms sounding simultaneously.
73. PRESTO - Very fast, faster than allegro.
74. QUASI - In the manner of.
75. RALLENTANDO - Gradually getting slower.
76. REPEAT - Go back and replay what is indicated between the repeat brackets.
77. RHYTHM - Musical sounds measured in various durations of time.
78. RISOLUTO - Bold, resolved.
79. RITARD - Slowing down.
80. RUBATO - Robbed; taking a portion of one note and giving it to another to vary tempo and
expression.
81. SCALES/MODES - Patterns of musical notes organized in whole and half steps around which
define the musical key.
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The Bromfield School Music Department Terms Page
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define the musical key.
82. SCHERZANDO - Playful, lively.
83. SECCO - Dry sounding, like staccato.
84. SEGUE - Go on with what follows.
85. SENZA - Without.
86. SFORZANDO - An articulation marking indicating a hard accent, and then backing away.
87. SFORZANDO - Strongly accented.
88. SHARP - Raises pitch one-half step.
89. SIMILE - Like.
90. SLUR - An articulation sign representing notes which are connected with little or no separation.
91. SOLFEGE - Syllables used in singing to aid in note reading and pitch awareness.
92. SONORE - Harmonious.
93. SOPRANO - High Voice.
94. SORDINO - A mute.
95. SOSTENUTO - Sustained.
96. SPRITELY - With sprit.
97. STACCATO - Crisply articulated notes with full tone and some separation.
98. STAFF - A grid comprised of 5 lines and 4 spaces upon which musical notes are assigned,
representing different pitches.
99. SUBITO - Suddenly.
100. SYNCOPATION - A rhythmic figure/style usually characterized by off-beats and accents
which do not fall squarely on beats.
101. TACET - To be silent.
102. TEMPO PRIMO - The original tempo.
103. TENOR - Medium Low Voice.
104. TENUTO - Sustained.
105. TONE - Quality of sound...a characteristic beautiful sound of an instrument or voice.
106. TRANSPOSITION - Reading and performing notes in different keys through clef changing,
etc.
107. TRIAD - The first, third, and fifth scale degree of a scale played simultaneously.
108. TRILL - An ornamentation figure featuring a fast slur between a primary note and a note
immediately higher or lower.
109. TRIPLET - A rhythmic figure based upon three notes.
110. TUTTI - The entire group comes in to play after a solo section.
111. VIVACE - Quick, lively.
112. VIVO - With life.
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