A
A	Absolute	Absolute music. Music which is inspired by itself rather than extramusical implications such as the stories legends of "program" music.
	A Cappella	Without accompaniment.
	Accelerando	Gradually faster; a term in general use to show that the music should be played at an increasing speed.
	Adagio	Slowly; slower than andante, faster than largo; a musical composition in adagio tempo; a difficult ballet duet or trio. Adagietto is a little faster than adagio.
	Adagietto	Slow, but a little faster than Adagio.
	Addolorato	Sorrowfully.
	Ad libitum	A term which permits the performer to vary the tempo and/or to include or omit a vocal or instrumental part.
	Affrettando	Hurrying.
	Agilmente	Lively.
	Agitato	In a restless and agitated manner.
	Air	(aria) The chief voice part or melody in choral music.
	Aleatory	Improvisation or random in character.
	Allargando	Gradual slowing of tempo, with increasing volume; most frequently occurs toward the end of a piece.
	Allegretto	Fast, but not as fast as Allegro.
	Allegro	Fast, though not as fast as vivace or presto.
	Allemande	A German dance in 4/4 time, often the 1st dance in a baroque dance suite.
	Andante	A moderate tempo or tempo at a walking pace.
	Andantino	Can be a little faster or slower than Andante, usually meant to be a little faster.
	Animato	With animation
	Anthem	A short vocal composition.
	Appassionato	With passion
	Arabesque	A short decorative piano piece.
	Arpeggio	Describing notes in a chord played individually (one after another) as opposed to simultaneously.
	Arrangement	An adaption of a composition.
	Atonality	Lacking a tonal center; not in a specific key and therefore has no specific 'home' note or chord. The word atonality refers technically to various forms of 20th century music not in a key.
B
B	Badiniere	A piece of music with a light-hearted character.
	Barcarolle	A boating-song, generally used to describe the boating songs of gondoliers in Venice, imitated by composers in songs and instrumental pieces
	Baroque	The period of musical history from 1600 - 1750.
	Berceuse	A berceuse is a cradle-song or lullaby, in lilting triple or compound time.
	Bourree	A French dance from the 17th century in brisk duple time starting with a pickup; a musical composition with the rhythm of this dance.
C
C	Cadence	A cadence usually consists of two chords that provide musical punctuation at the end of phrases or sentences.
	Cadenza	A solo passage, either written by the composer or improvised by the performer, preceding the capitulation of the piece.
	Camminando	Following easily and gently.
	Canon	Two or more parts that have the same melody but start at different points.
	Cantabile	At a walking speed and in singing style.
	Cantata	Baroque sacred or secular choral composition of some length, containing solos, duets, and choruses, with or without orchestral or keyboard accompaniment.
	Caprice/Capriccio	A fugal composition; dances or dance suites or any composition that allows a relatively free play of fancy.
	Carol	A song of praise and celebration, usually for Christmas.
	Cassation	describes a piece of music akin to a divertimento or serenade, music intended primarily for entertainment.
	Chamber music	Music for a small ensemble of instruments, intended for performance in a room or chamber, as opposed to a church or larger building.
	Chanson	A French song; originally, songs from troubadour compositions of the Middle ages.
	Chorale	Hymn-like song, characterized by blocked chords.
	Chord	A combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously.
	Classical	Music composed primarily during the period 1770 - 1825.
	Coda	The closing section of a composition; an added ending.
	Coloratura	Used to describe vocal music that is extensively ornamented and calls for ability in a very high register.
	Composer	A person who creates (composes) music.
	Con brio	With spirit; vigorously.
	Con calore	With warmth.
	Concert	A public performance of music.
	Concertante	A concertante is a part that calls for some element of solo performance, as in a classical concerto.
	Concertino	A short concerto; the small group of solo instruments used in a concerto grosso
	Concert master	The first chair violinist in an orchestra.
	Concerto	A piece of instrumental music that contrasts a solo instrument or a small group of solo instruments with the main body of the orchestra.
	Con intensita	With intensity.
	Con moto	With motion.
	Consort	Indicates a group of like instruments; the music written for it.
	Con spirito	With spirit.
	Countermelody	A vocal part which contrasts with the principal melody.
	Courante	A triple-time dance movement found frequently in the baroque dance suite; generally follows the allemande
	Crescendo	Gradually rising in volume.
D
D	Decrescendo	Gradually lower in volume; synonymous with diminuendo.
	Delicato	Delicately.
	Diminuendo	Gradually lower in volume; synonymous with decrescendo.
	Dirge	A very slow piece that is usually performed at a funeral or memorial service.
	Divertimento	A divertimento is an instrumental composition intended for entertainment, usually in a number of movements.
	Divertissement	Indicates the additional dance entertainment that is often a part of classical ballet.
	Divisi	An indication of divided musical parts.
	Dolce	Sweetly; dolcissimo is very sweetly.
	Doloroso	Sadly; mournfully.
	Down beat	The first beat; given by the conductor with a downward stroke.
	Dynamics	Varying degrees of loud and soft.
E
E	Elegy	A lament, either vocal or instrumental.
	Encore	To repeat a piece or play an additional piece at the end of a performance.
	Entr'acte	The music between acts of an opera or play.
	Espressivo	Expressively.
	Esuberante	Exuberant.
	Etude	Originally a study, intended for the technical practice of the player. Later, elevated the into a significant piece of music, no mere exercise.
	Exposition	The first section of the movement, in which the principal thematic material is announced; in a fugue, the voices or parts enter one by one with the same subject: the exposition ends when all the voices have entered.
F
F	Fanfare	A prelude or opening; a flourish; usually played by brass instruments.
	Fermata	Hold; pause .
	Festivo, festoso	Festive; merry.
	Finale	The last movement of a symphony or sonata; the last selection of an opera.
	Fine	The end.
	(La) Follia	A well known dance tune popular from the 16th century or earlier and found in the work of composers.
	Forte	Loud
	Fortissimo	Very loud
	Fugue	A musical composition in which one or 2 themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices/instruments and developed in a continuous interweaving of the parts.
	Full score	An instrumental score in which all the parts for the instruments appear on their own staves in standard instrumental family order.
G
G	Galliard	A courtly dance of the late 16th and early 17th century often found in instrumental compositions of the period, sometimes in suites.
	Gigue	The gigue became the accepted final dance in the baroque instrumental suite.
	Giocoso	Playful.
	Giubilante	Exultant; jubilant.
	Glissando	Used to describe sliding in music from one note to another.
	Grandioso	Grandiose; majestic.
	Grand pause	A rest for the entire ensemble.
	Grave	Slow; solemn.
	Grazia	Grace; Con grazia - with grace.
	Grazioso	Graceful.
	Gregorian Chant	The modal chant of early Christian and continuing Catholic worship and its derivatives
	Grosso	Great; large.
H
H	Habanera	A Cuban dance from Havana, later introduced to Spain.
	Harmony	The sounding of two or more tones simultaneously; the vertical aspect of music.
	Hymn	A song of praise
I
I	Impressionism	A musical movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspired by the French impressionist painters, the movement had its impetus in the music of Debussy and Ravel.
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L
L	Lacrimoso	Tearful; mournful.
	Lament	Dirge; a slow mornful piece.
	Lamento	Mournful; sad.
	Landler	The Ländler is an Austrian country dance in a slow triple metre, a precursor of the waltz.
	Langsam	Slow.
	Largamente	Broadly.
	Larghetto	Slower than largo.
	Largo	Very slow.
	Legato	Smooth; connected.
	Leggiero	Light; graceful.
	Lento	Slow; slightly faster than largo, slower than adagio.
	Liberamento	Freely.
	Lied	Indicates songs in the great German tradition of song-writing.
	Linear	Melodic; horizontal lines.
	L'istesso tempo	An instruction to the player to return to the previous speed of the music.
	Loure	A French dance of the 17th and 18th centuries; it has been described as a slow gigue.
M
M	Madrigal	Originally a form of vocal composition of 14th century Italy; a favourite form of part-song, stemming first from Italy.
	Maestoso	Suggests a majestic manner of performance, either in mood or speed.
	Magnificat	The Magnificat is the canticle drawn from the biblical words attributed to the Mother of Christ
	Malaguena	A Spanish dance from the region of Málaga; later used to indicate a form of Spanish gypsy song.
	Mancando	Fading away
	Marcato	Emphasized; heavily accented.
	Mazurka	A Polish dance, transformed by Chopin in some fifty piano pieces in this form.
	Measure	A group of beats containing a primary accent and one or more secondary accents, indicated by the placement of bar lines on the staff; the space between two bar lines.
	Medesimo	The same.
	Medieval	The period prior to the Renaissance, c. 500 - 1450, marking the music of the early Christian church.
	Melodie	The French art- songs of the 19th and 20th centuries are known as mélodies
	Melody	In general, a succession of musical tones. It represents the linear or horizontal aspect of music.
	Meno	Less.
	Meno mosso	Less motion.
	Mesto	Sad
	Mezzo	Half; medium
	Mezzo forte	Medium loud.
	Mezzo piano	Medium soft.
	Middle Ages	European historical period between roughly A.D. 500 and 1450.
	Minuet	A triple metre French dance popular from the second half of the 17th until at least the end of the 18th century.
	Missa	Originally the Catholic Mass or Eucharist; later came to be used on occasion for settings that included only the first two parts of the ordinary of the Mass, the Kyrie and the Gloria.
	Misterioso	Mysteriously.
	Mit	With
	Moderato	Moderate speed.
	Modern	Music written in the 20th century; contempory music.
	Molto	Very; used with other terms, e.g. molto allegro.
	Morendo	Gradually decreasing in volume; fading away.
	Mosso	Rapid; meno mosso - less rapid; piu mosso - more rapid.
	Motive	A short melodic or rhythmic pattern.
	Motet	A choral composition for a church, without necessarily using text from the liturgy.
	Motif	A group of notes that has a recognisable thematic character
	Moto	Motion; con moto - with motion.
	Movement	A section of a larger piece that usually is in itself a complete work.
	Mute	Usually an attachment used to dampen the sound of an instrument.
N
N	Nach	After (as "in the manner of"); behind.
	Nachtmusik	Night music; a serenade.
	Neoclassic	A musical style from the 20th century indicating the return to styles from earlier periods (e.g. romantic, baroque).
	Nocturne	A night-piece; music that evokes a nocturnal mood.
	Nonet	A composition for nine performers
	Non troppo	Not too much; used with other terms (e.g. non troppo allegro - not too fast)
	Note	The symbol which, when placed on a staff with a particular clef sign, indicates pitch.
	Nuance	Subtle variations in tempo, phrasing, dynamics, etc., to enhance a musical performance.
O
O	Obbligato	Indicates an additional instrumental part that cannot be omitted.
	Octave	The eighth tone above a given pitch, with twice as many vibrations per second, or below a given pitch, with half as many vibrations.
	Octet	A piece for eight instruments or voices.
	Opera Bouffe/Buffe	A comic operetta
	Opera Seria	A serious opera governed by strict rules as to subject and structure.
	Operetta	A light opera.
	Opus/Op	Meaning work, is used by composers to show the chronological order of their works; however is not necessarily accurate.
	Oratorio	A work in which religious texts often with a narrative content are set for performance by singers and instruments.
	Orchestra	A large group of musicians made up of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments.
	Orchestration	The art of writing, arranging, or scoring for the orchestra.
	Ornaments	Melodic embellishments, either written or improvised.
	Ossia	"Or." Indicating an alternative passage or version.
	Ostinato	A part that repeats the same rhythm or melodic element.
	Ottava	Octave.
	Ottava alta	An octave higher.
	Ottave bassa	An octave lower.
	Overtones	The almost inaudible higher tones which occur with the fundamental tone. They are the result of the vibration of small sections of a string (instrument) or a column of air. Other general terms for overtones are partials and harmonics.
	Overture	An introductory piece, often designed to initiate an opera or other dramatic work.