A Cappella: in the church style, unaccompanied vocal music

Accellerando (accel.) : Gradually faster

Ad libitium: The speed and Ad Lib manner are left to the performer

Adagio: Slow

Adagietto: Rather slow

Adagissimo: Very Slow

Affrettando: Hurrying pressing onwards

Agitati: Agitated

Alla Breve: Formerly stood for four minims in a bar, now more often indicates two minim beats.

Allargando: Getting slower, with an implication also of generally bigger tone

Allegro: Lively, fast

Allegretto: Rather lively (but less than Allegro)

Andante: At a moderate pace

Andantino: Alternatively faster or slower than Andante

Anima Soul: With deep feeling

Animato: Animated

A piacere: At pleasure

Apassionato: Passionately

Approggriatura: A grace note

Arpeggio: Like a harp

Assai: Very

A tempo: In time, i.e. resuming normal speed after a deviation

Attaca: Go on at once

Ben: Bene Well

Bewegt: Ger. With movement

Bis: Lat. Twice

Breit: Ger. Broad

Bravura: (con.) Boldness and spirit

Breve: Originally a note of relatively short duration, but now the longest note, equal to four minims.

Brillante: Brilliant

Brio: Vigour

Calando: Decreasing both tone and speed

Cantabile (cantando) : In a singing style

Cantilena: Short, song-like piece

Capo: The beginning ( Da Capo - From the beginning)

Capriccio: A caprice ( a piece in free light-hearted style)

Coda: A passage added at the end of a movement to make a satisfactory finish

Col, Coll': With the

Colla,: collo

Colla parte: A direction to the accompanist

Colla voce: A To follow the solo instrument or voice

Come: As

Come prima: As at first

Come sopra: As above

Comodo: Convenient (usually linked with tempo - at a convenient pace)

Con: With

Crescendo (cresc.) : Becoming gradually louder

Da: From

Da Capo (D.C.) : From the beginning

Dal sengo (D.S.) : From the sign

Deciso: Decisively, firmly

Decrescendo (decresc.) : Becoming gradually softer

Delicato: Delicate

Diminuendo (dim.) : Becoming gradually softer

Dolce: Tenderly, sweetly

Dolcissimo (dolciss.) : Very gently, very sweetly

Dolente: Sadly

Dolore: Grief, sorrow

Doppio: Double

Doppio movimento: Twice as fast

Duo: A duet

E, Ed: And

Ein wenig: Ger. A little

En dehors: Fr. Prominently

En pressant: Fr. Hurrying

En retenant: Fr. Gradually slower

Energico: With energy

Espressione: Expression

Espressivo (espr.) : With expression

Etwas: Ger. Somewhat

Facile: Easy

Feurig: Ger. Fiery

Finale: The last movement of such a work a sonata

Fine: The end

Forte: Loud

Forte piano fp: Loud, then soft

Fortissimo: Very loud

Forza: Force

Forzando fz: Forcing, a sudden accent

Fuga: A fugue

Fuoco: Fire

Furioso: Furiously

Gauche: Fr. Left

Giocoso: Gay, merry

Giusto: Strict, exact

Glissando: The rapid playing of a scale

G.P. (General Pause) : Indicates all to remain silent

Grandioso: Grandly, in the grand manner

Grave: Very slow, solemn

Grazia: Grace

Immer: Ger. Always, constantly

Impetuoso: Impetuously

In altissimo: Notes played an octave higher

Incalzando: Increasing speed, with an implication of increasing tone

Lacrimoso: Sadly

Lamentoso: Mournfully

Langsam: Ger. Slow

Largamente: Broadly

Larghetto: Less slow than largo

Largo: Slow and stately

Lebhaft: Ger. Lively

Legato: Smooth

Legatissimo: As smoothly as possible

Leggiero: Light, delicate

Legno: See col legno

Lent: Fr. Slow

Lento: Slow

L.H.: Eng. Left hand

Lied: Ger. Song

L'istesso tempo: The speed of the beat remains the same although the notation changes

Loco: Notes are to be played at their normal pitch (after an indication to play them an octave higher or lower)

Lontano: As from a distance

Lunga pausa: A long pause

Lusingando: In a coaxing style

Ma: But

Ma non troppo: But not too much

Maestoso: Majestically

Mancando: Waning, dying away

Main droite (M.D.) : Fr. The right hand

Main gauche (M.G.) : Fr. The left hand

Marcato (marc.) : Marked, accented

Marcia: A march

Martellato: Hammered out

Marzial: Martial

Mässig: Ger. Moderate

Meno: Less

Meno mosso: Less movement, slower at once

Mesto: Sadly

Mezza voce: In an undertone

Mezzo forte F: Moderately loud

Mezzo piano P: Moderately soft

Misterioso: Mysterious

Misura: Senza misura in free time

Mit: Ger. With

Moderato: Moderate time

Moll: Ger. Minor

Molto: Much, Di molto, very much

Morendo: Dying away

Mosso: Moved, movement

Moto movimento: Movement, Dopio movimento twice as fast

MS.: Eng. Manuscript

Nicht: Ger. Not

Nobilmente: Nobly. A term much used by Elgar

Non: Not

Non tanto: Not so much

Non troppo: Not too much

Obbligato: Indispensable, cannot be omitted

Opus: Lat. A work, published composition

Ossia Or.: Indicating an alternative version of a passage

Ottava (Ott.) : Octave

Ottava bassa: An octave lower

Parlando: To be sung in Parlante declamatory fashion, with particular care for the enunciation of the words

Partitur: Ger. A full orchestral score

Passionato: Passionately

Pastorale: In a pastoral style

Paterico: With feeling, pathos

Pausa: A rest

Perdendosi: Dying away

Pesante: Heavy, ponderous

Piacevole: Pleasing, agreeable

Piangevole: Plaintively

Piano p: Soft

Pianissimo: Very softly

Pił: More

Pił: (allegro) Quicker, more lively

Pił: (lento) More slowly

Pił: (mosso) More movement, quicker

Plus: Fr. More

Pochettino: A very little

Pochissimo: As small as possible

Poco: A little

Poco a poco: Little by little

Poi: Then

Portamento: The effect produced by the voice in gliding with extreme smoothness from note to note

Precipitato: Precipitately, impetuously

Pretissimo: As fast as possible

Presto: Very quick

Prima volta: First time

Primo: First

Quasi: As if, almost

Quasi recitativo: Like a recitation

Rallentando (rall.) : Becoming gradually slower

Repetizone (replica) : Repitition

R.H.: Eng. Right hand

Rigoroso: Strictly

Rinforzando: Reinforcing

Risoluto: Resolute, bold

Risvegliato: With increased animation

Ritardando (rit.) : Gradually slower

Ritenuto (rit.) : Help back

Ritmico: Rhythmically

Rubato: Robbed, stolen, taking a portion of the duration from one note or group of notes, and adding it to another, so that although the detail varies, the length of the phrase is normal

Ruhig: Ger. Calm

Scherzando: Playful

Scherzo: A joke

Scherzoso: Playfully

Schnell: Ger. Quick

Schneller: Ger. Quicker

Sec: Lit. Detached

Segno: A sign. See Dal segno

Segue: Go on with what follows

Sempre: Always

Senza: Without

Sforzando (sforzato) : Forcing, accented

Simile: In a like manner

Sin',: Sino Until

Slargando (slentando) : Gradually slower

Smorzando:Dying away

Soave: Gentle, smooth

Solenne: Solemn

Sonore: Sonorous, full toned

Sopra: Above

Sospirando: Sighing

Sostenuto: Sustained

Sotto: Below

Sotto voce: In an undertone

Spiritoso: Spirited

Staccato (stacc.) : Detached

Staccatissimo: Very detached

Strepitoso: Noisy, boisterous

Stringendo: Gradually faster

Suave: Gentle, smooth

Subito: Suddenly

Süss: Ger. Sweet

Tacet: Lat. It is silent

Tanto: So much

Tempo: The speed

Tempo: comodo At a convenient speed

Tempo giusto: In strict time

Tempo Primo (tempo) : Resume the original speed

Tenerezza: Tenderness

Teneramente: Tenderly

Tenuto (ten.) : Held

Tosto: Swift, rapid

Tranquillo: Calm, tranquil

Traurig: Ger. Sadly

Tre: Three

Tremolando (trem.) : The rapid repitition of a note

Trionfale (trionfante, troppo) : Triumphant

Tutta forza: The whole power, as loud as possible

Tutti: All

Un,: una, uno One

Un peu (un poco) : Fr. A little

Unis.: In unison after a division (divisi)

Veloce: Swift, quick

Vibrato: Vibrating

Vif: Fr. Lively, quick

Vigoroso: Boldly, vigorously

Vite (vivace, vivo) : Fr. Quick, lively

Vivacissimo: Very lively, with extreme vivacity

Voce: Voice

Volante: Flying

Voll: Ger. Full

Volti subito (V.S.) : Turn the page quickly

Wenig: Ger. Little

Zart: Ger. Delicate