Musical terms glossary
Musical terms are the words, abbreviations and signs on a score that tell you how fast (tempo), how loud (dynamics) and how (articulation and expression) to play. Most are Italian. Search below, or tap to hear one.
111 terms
Tempo (speed)
- Grave
- “serious, heavy” · Very slow and solemn; usually the slowest marking you will meet. ≈ 25–45 BPM
- Largo
- “broad” · Very slow and broad, with a spacious, dignified feel. ≈ 40–60 BPM
- Lento
- “slow” · Slow. Often used interchangeably with Largo. ≈ 45–60 BPM
- Larghetto
- “a little broad” · Fairly slow; a touch quicker than Largo. ≈ 60–66 BPM
- Adagio
- “at ease” · Slow and expressive. Many famous slow movements are marked Adagio. ≈ 66–76 BPM
- Andante
- “walking” · At a walking pace: moderately slow and flowing. ≈ 76–108 BPM
- Andantino
- “a little walking” · Usually read as slightly faster than Andante (older usage sometimes meant slower). ≈ 80–108 BPM
- Moderato
- “moderate” · At a moderate speed, neither fast nor slow. ≈ 108–120 BPM
- Allegretto
- “a little lively” · Moderately fast; lighter and slower than Allegro. ≈ 100–128 BPM
- Allegro
- “cheerful, lively” · Fast and bright. The most common marking for quick movements. ≈ 120–156 BPM
- Vivace
- “lively” · Lively and fast, quicker than Allegro. ≈ 156–176 BPM
- Presto
- “quickly” · Very fast. ≈ 168–200 BPM
- Prestissimo
- “as fast as possible” · Extremely fast; the fastest standard marking. ≈ 200–240 BPM
- A tempo
- “in time” · Return to the main tempo after a change such as a ritardando.
- Tempo primoTempo I
- “first tempo” · Go back to the tempo at the start of the piece.
Changing tempo
- Accelerandoaccel.
- Gradually getting faster.
- Ritardandorit. / ritard.
- Gradually getting slower.
- Rallentandorall.
- Gradually slowing down; in practice very close to ritardando.
- Ritenutoriten.
- Held back: slower straight away rather than gradually.
- Allargandoallarg.
- Broadening: slowing down and usually getting fuller and louder.
- Stringendostring.
- Pressing forward, getting faster with growing tension.
- Rubato
- “robbed” · Flexible time: pushing and pulling the beat for expression.
- Fermata
- A pause sign (an arc over a dot). Hold the note or rest longer than written.
- Meno mosso
- “less moved” · Less movement: a little slower.
- Più mosso
- “more moved” · More movement: a little faster.
- L’istesso tempo
- The same tempo: keep the beat speed when the time signature changes.
- Senza misura
- Without strict measure: play freely, out of strict time.
Dynamics (volume)
- Pianissimopp
- Very soft.
- Pianop
- Soft. (The instrument’s full name, pianoforte, means “soft-loud”.)
- Mezzo pianomp
- Moderately soft.
- Mezzo fortemf
- Moderately loud. A common default level.
- Fortef
- Loud.
- Fortissimoff
- Very loud.
- Crescendocresc. / <
- Gradually getting louder. Written as “cresc.” or an opening hairpin (<).
- Diminuendodim. / >
- Gradually getting softer. Written as “dim.” or a closing hairpin (>).
- Decrescendodecresc.
- Gradually getting softer; means the same as diminuendo.
- Sforzandosfz / sf
- A sudden strong accent on one note or chord.
- Fortepianofp
- Loud, then immediately soft.
- Subito
- “suddenly” · Suddenly, as in subito piano (suddenly soft). Cancels any gradual change.
- Morendo
- “dying” · Dying away: getting softer and often slower.
- Calando
- Getting softer and slower together.
- Hairpin
- The wedge-shaped sign for crescendo (<) or diminuendo (>).
Articulation
- Legato
- “tied” · Smooth and connected, no gaps between notes. Shown by a slur.
- Staccato
- “detached” · Short and detached. Shown by a dot above or below the note head.
- Staccatissimo
- Very short and detached. Shown by a small wedge.
- Tenuto
- “held” · Hold the note for its full value, often with slight weight. Shown by a short line.
- Accent
- Play the note with extra emphasis. Shown by a > sign.
- Marcato
- “marked” · Strongly accented. Shown by a ^ sign; stronger than a normal accent.
- Portato
- Between legato and staccato: slightly separated, gently weighted notes (dots or lines under a slur).
- Slur
- A curved line over notes of different pitch: play them smoothly in one gesture or bow.
- Tie
- A curved line joining two notes of the same pitch: hold for their combined length.
- Glissandogliss.
- A slide from one pitch to another.
- Pizzicatopizz.
- Pluck the strings (string instruments). Arco means return to the bow.
- Arco
- Play with the bow (after pizzicato).
- Trilltr
- Rapid alternation between the written note and the note above.
- Mordent
- A quick ornament: the note, a neighbour note, then the note again.
- Arpeggio
- The notes of a chord played one after another instead of together.
Expression & mood
- Cantabile
- “singable” · In a singing style, with a lyrical line.
- Dolce
- “sweet” · Sweetly and gently.
- Espressivoespr.
- Expressively, with feeling.
- Agitato
- Agitated, restless.
- Animato
- Animated, with spirit.
- Con brio
- With vigour and brilliance.
- Con moto
- With motion: keep it moving.
- Grazioso
- Gracefully.
- Maestoso
- Majestically, in a stately way.
- Giocoso
- Playfully, humorously.
- Leggiero
- Lightly, with a delicate touch.
- Sostenuto
- Sustained: hold notes for their full length, often a little slower.
- Tranquillo
- Calmly, peacefully.
- Sempre
- “always” · Always, as in sempre legato (keep it smooth throughout).
- Molto / poco
- Molto means very or much (molto rit.); poco means a little (poco cresc.). Poco a poco means little by little.
Repeats & road map
- Da capoD.C.
- “from the head” · Go back to the beginning.
- Dal segnoD.S.
- “from the sign” · Go back to the segno sign (𝄋).
- Al fine
- Then play until the word Fine, as in D.C. al Fine.
- Al coda
- Then play to the coda sign and jump to the coda, as in D.S. al Coda.
- Fine
- “end” · The end of the piece (after a D.C. or D.S. repeat).
- Coda
- “tail” · A closing section added at the end; also the sign (𝄌) you jump to.
- Segno
- “sign” · The sign (𝄋) that marks where a D.S. repeat starts.
- Repeat sign
- A double bar with two dots: play the enclosed section again.
- Volta brackets
- First- and second-time endings: bracketed bars played on different repeats.
- Tacet
- “is silent” · The instrument does not play in this section.
- Tutti
- “all” · Everyone plays (after a solo passage).
- Ottava8va / 8vb
- Play an octave higher (8va) or lower (8vb) than written.
Theory & notation
- Interval
- The distance between two pitches, named by number and quality (major 3rd, perfect 5th).
- Chord
- Three or more notes sounded together. A triad has a root, third and fifth.
- Key signature
- The sharps or flats at the start of each staff that set the key.
- Time signature
- Two numbers at the start: beats per bar (top) and the note value of one beat (bottom).
- Accidental
- A sharp, flat or natural added before a note, lasting to the end of the bar.
- Clef
- The symbol that fixes which pitch each staff line stands for (treble, bass, alto…).
- Ledger line
- A short extra line for notes above or below the five-line staff.
- Tonic
- The first degree of a scale and the home note of a key.
- Dominant
- The fifth degree of a scale, and the chord built on it (V).
- Cadence
- A chord movement that ends a phrase, like V–I (perfect) or IV–I (plagal).
- Modulation
- Changing from one key to another within a piece.
- Syncopation
- Accenting off-beats or weak beats against the expected pulse.
- Tempo
- The speed of the beat, often given in beats per minute (BPM).
- Timbre
- Tone colour: what makes a flute and a violin sound different on the same note.
- Ostinato
- A short pattern repeated persistently, often in the bass.
Form & genre
- Sonata form
- A movement plan of exposition, development and recapitulation.
- Rondo
- A form where a main theme keeps returning between contrasting sections (A B A C A).
- Theme and variations
- A melody stated, then repeated in changed versions.
- Binary form
- Two contrasting sections, A and B, often each repeated.
- Ternary form
- Three sections, A B A: a return to the opening after a contrast.
- Canon
- One voice imitates another exactly, entering a little later.
- Fugue
- A contrapuntal piece built on a subject that enters in each voice in turn.
- Étude
- “study” · A piece written to practise a particular technique.
- Prelude
- An introductory piece, or a short free-standing piece.
- Coda (form)
- The closing section of a movement, after the main material has finished.
- Cadenza
- A virtuosic solo passage, often near the end of a concerto movement.
- Motif
- A short musical idea that is repeated and developed.
Tempo markings and BPM
Tempo words describe character as much as speed, so the beats-per-minute ranges below are typical metronome ranges, not fixed rules. Composers, editions and metronome makers differ. Set any of them on the metronome to feel the speed.
| Marking | Meaning | Typical BPM |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | serious, heavy | 25–45 |
| Largo | broad | 40–60 |
| Lento | slow | 45–60 |
| Larghetto | a little broad | 60–66 |
| Adagio | at ease | 66–76 |
| Andante | walking | 76–108 |
| Andantino | a little walking | 80–108 |
| Moderato | moderate | 108–120 |
| Allegretto | a little lively | 100–128 |
| Allegro | cheerful, lively | 120–156 |
| Vivace | lively | 156–176 |
| Presto | quickly | 168–200 |
| Prestissimo | as fast as possible | 200–240 |
Dynamics from softest to loudest
Dynamics are relative, not measured in decibels: a forte on a solo flute is quieter than a forte from a full orchestra. Extra letters push further, so ppp and fff also appear.
Test yourself
One definition, four terms from the same family. Pick the right one.
For a mixed quiz on notes, keys and intervals, try the music theory quiz.
Questions
Why are most musical terms in Italian?
Italian composers and publishers led European music when written performance directions became common in the 1600s and 1700s, so their words became the international standard. You will also meet French and German terms (for example in Debussy or Mahler), but Italian is the default in exam syllabuses.
What are the most important musical terms for beginners?
Start with the tempo words (Adagio, Andante, Moderato, Allegro, Presto), the dynamics (p, mp, mf, f, crescendo, diminuendo), the articulations (legato, staccato, accent) and the road-map signs (repeat, D.C., D.S., Fine, Coda). These cover most beginner and early-grade pieces.
How fast is Allegro in BPM?
Allegro is usually played somewhere around 120–156 beats per minute. Tempo words describe character as much as speed, so ranges differ between metronome makers, editions and composers; treat any BPM figure as a guide, not a rule.
What is the difference between crescendo and diminuendo?
Crescendo means gradually getting louder (an opening hairpin <); diminuendo, or decrescendo, means gradually getting softer (a closing hairpin >).
What is the difference between ritardando and rallentando?
Both mean gradually slowing down and are used almost interchangeably. Ritenuto is different: it means held back straight away, not gradually.
What does D.S. al Coda mean?
Go back to the segno sign (𝄋), play until you reach the “to Coda” marking, then jump to the coda (𝄌) and play to the end.