Translations and Meanings of Frequently Encountered

Musical Terms
NOTE — 80 PERCENT OF SEMESTER FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS ARE BASED ON THESE TERMS

General Terms

["literal translation"] Most commonly

Italian German French
used meaning(s)
a, al, all', allo, alla, ai, agli, alle zu, zum à, au to [the], in the manner of
alquanto ziemlich assez quite, rather, fairly
alta, alto alt alte high, higher
ancora wieder encore again, repeat
assai ganz extrèmement extremely
attacca ohne Pause enchaînez ["attach"] proceed without stopping
bassa, basso baß basse low, lower
cadenza Kadenz cadence extended improvisatory section
capo Anfang debut beginning
coda Anhang, Koda coda section added to end
come wie comme as, as if, like
con, col, coll', collo, colla, coi,
-voll, mit avec with [the]
cogli, colle
da, dal, dall', dallo, dalla, dai,
von, vom de, du from [the], of [the]
dagli, dalle
divisi geteilt divisés divided
e, ed und et and
fine Schluß fin end
glissando gleitend glissant sliding from one pitch to another
il, l', lo, la, i, gli, le der, die, das le, la, les the
legato gebunden, geschleift lié ["tied"] smoothly, slurred
derselbe, dieselbe, le même, la
l'istesso, lo stesso, la stessa the same
dasselbe même
ma aber mais but
["hammered"] sharp, forceful, with quick
martellato gehämmert martelé
releases
meno weniger moins less
mezzo halb demi-, mi- half
mode
modo ordinario gewöhnlich [return to] normal manner of execution
ordinaire
molto sehr très very
... nach ... changez ...
muta ... in ... amstimmen en ... change ... to ...

non nicht non, pas not

o, od oder ou or
ossia sonst autrement ["or rather"] alternate passage
ottava Oktave octave octave
più -er, mehr plus more
[un] poco [ein] wenig [un] peu [a] little
["carried"] semi-detached, between legato
portato halb ablösend louré
and staccato
premier,
primo, prima erst, zuerst first, at first
première
segno Zeichen signe sign
sempre immer toujours always, still
senza ohne sans without
simile ähnlich de même similarly
sordino Dämpfer sourdine mute
["separated"] detached [technically half the
staccato abgestoßen détaché
note value]
subito sofort, plötzlich subitement sudden[ly], immediate[ly]
su, sul, sull', sullo, sulla, sui,
an, am sur on [the], near [the], at [the]
sugli, sulle
tacet schweigt se tait ["is silent"] does not play
rapid repetition of a note or alternation of
tremolo zitternd trémolo
notes
troppo zu trop too, too much
tutti alle tous all
un, un', uno, una ein, eine, eins un, une a, one
unisoni zusammen, einfach unis [in] unison

Tempo Terms (from slowest to fastest)

["literal translation"] Most commonly used

Italian German French
meaning(s)
lento langsam lent slowly
largo breit large broadly
larghetto mäßig langsam un peu lent somewhat faster than largo
adagio gemächlich à l'aise ["at ease"] easily, unhurried
un peu à
adagietto mäßig gemächlich somewhat faster than adagio
l'aise
andante gehend, fließend allant ["walking"] flowing
etwas gehend, etwas
andantino un peu allant somewhat close to andante (somewhat faster or slower)
fließend
moderato mäßig modéré moderately, neither slow nor fast
allegretto mäßig bewegt, mäßig lustig un peu animé somewhat slower than allegro
allegro bewegt, lustig animé lively
presto schnell vite fast
prestissimo ganz schnell très vite very fast
 Tempo Modifiers

["literal translation"] Most commonly used

Italian German French
meaning(s)
a tempo im Zeitmaß au mouvement [return to] regular tempo
accelerando allmählich schneller accélérez, serrez becoming faster
allargando verbreiternd élargissant broadening
doppio mouvement
doppelt so schnell twice as fast
movimento redoublé
grave feierlich gravement solemnly
mosso bewegend mouvementé ["moved"] moving, agitated
moto Bewegung mouvement motion
rallentando verlangsamend ralentissez becoming slower
ritardando aufhaltend cédez ["delaying"] gradually slowing
ritenuto zurückhaltend retenu ["kept back"] immediately slower
rubato geraubtes Zeitmaß dérobé ["robbed"] flexible tempo
sostenuto getragen soutenu sustained
stringendo drängend, eilend pressez ["squeezing"] hastening, tightening
wie vorher, wie
tempo primo premier mouvement original tempo
zuerst
trascinando schleppend traînez dragging
vivace lebhaft vif briskly
vivacissimo sehr lebhaft très vif very briskly

Dynamic Terms (from softest to loudest)

["literal translation"] Most commonly used

Marking Italian German French
meaning(s)
ganz leise, ganz tout
ppp pianississimo
sanft doucement
["extremely plainly"] as softly as possible

sehr leise, sehr très

pp pianissimo
sanft doucement
["very plainly"] very softly

p piano leise, sanft doucement ["plainly"] softly

halb leise, halb
mp mezzo piano
sanft
mi-doux ["half plainly"] medium softly

mf mezzo forte halb laut mi-fort ["half strongly"] medium loudly

f forte laut fort ["strongly"] loudly
ff fortissimo sehr laut très fort ["very strongly"] very loudly
fff fortississimo ganz laut tout fort ["extremely strongly"] as loudly as possible

Dynamic Modifiers

Italian German French ["literal translation"] Most commonly used meaning(s)

calando abschwächend s'éteignant fading away
 crescendo anschwellend augmentez growing [louder]
decrescendo abnehmend s'affaiblissant becoming softer
diminuendo vermindernd diminuant diminishing [in loudness]
morendo erlöschend, schmelzend expirant dying away
rinforzando verstärkt renforçant (rfz) ["reinforcing"] emphasized
sforzando betont accentué (sfz) ["forcing"] sharply accented

Expression Terms

["literal translation"] Most commonly used

Italian German French
meaning(s)
affetuoso zart affectueusement with affection, tenderly
agitato aufgeregt agité excitedly, restlessly
a piacere nach Gefallen à volonté ["at pleasure"] at performer's discretion
arioso gesangvoll en style d'un air in the manner of a [vocal] aria
brio Schwung verve spirit
calmato ruhig calme calm, quieted
cantabile singbar, singend chantant ["singable"] song-like
comodo bequem commode ["convenient"] comfortably, without strain
con calore heiß chaleureusement ["with heat"] warmly, passionately
dolce süß douce[ment] sweet[ly]
espressivo ausdrucksvoll expressif expressively
fuoco Feuer feu ["fire"] intensity, ardor
giocoso spielend jouant playfully
giusto genau juste ["exactly"] strict[ly], precise[ly], appropriate[ly]
grazioso anmutig gracieux gracefully
gusto Geschmack goût taste
leggero,
leicht légèrement lightly
leggiero
maestoso majestätisch majestueux majestically
marcato markiert marqué ["marked"] stressed
mesto traurig triste sadly
pesante gewichtig lourde[ment] heavily
entschlossen, décidé,
risoluto resolutely, decisively
resolut résolument
scherzando scherzend badinant jokingly
semplice einfach simplement simply
strepitoso ausgelassen bruyant boisterously
tenuto aushaltend tenu held [possibly beyond its normal value]

Wind Markings

Italian German French ["literal translation"] Most commonly used meaning(s)

aperto offen ouvert open, uncovered
campana in Schalltrichter
pavillon en l'air bell raised
aria auf
chiuso gestopft bouché stopped, covered
lontano entfernt lointain distant
squillante schmetternd cuivré brassy, blaring
trémolo avec la
vibrato linguale Flatterzunge flutter-tongue
langue

Percussion Markings

["literal translation"] Most commonly used

Italian German French
meaning(s)
bacchette di legno Holzschlägeln baguettes en bois hard sticks
bacchette di baguettes
Schwammschlägeln soft sticks
spugna d'éponge
con timbro mit Schnarrsaiten timbré with snares
coperto gedeckt couvert covered [cloth on drum head]
lasciare vibrare klingen lassen laissez vibrer let vibrate [ring]
secco frisch sec drily [without resonance]
sul bordo am Rand au bord at the edge [rim]

String Markings

Italian German French ["literal translation"] Most commonly used meaning(s)

arco Bogen archet bow, bowed, with the bow
legno Holz bois, dos wood [back of the bow]
pizzicato gekneipt pizzicato ["pinched"] plucked, without the bow
ponticello Steg chevalet bridge
punta Spitze pointe point [tip of the bow]
saltando Springbogen jeté, ricochet ["jumping"] bouncing bow [several notes per stroke]
spiccato abgestoßen sautillé ["distinct"] bouncing bow [one note per stroke]
tallone Frosch talon frog [where bow is held]
tasto, tastiera Griffbrett touche fingerboard

Notes and Modes

English Italian German French

C / C flat / C sharp do / do bemolle / do diesis C / Ces / Cis ut / ut bémol / ut dièse
D / D flat / D sharp re / re bemolle / re diesis D / Des / Dis ré / ré bémol / ré dièse
E / E flat / E sharp mi / mi bemolle / mi diesis E / Es / E-is mi / mi bémol / mi dièse
F / F flat / F sharp fa / fa bemolle / fa diesis F / Fes / Fis fa / fa bémol / fa dièse
G / G flat / G sharp sol / sol bemolle / sol diesis G / Ges / Gis sol / sol bémol / sol dièse
A / A flat / A sharp la / la bemolle / la diesis A / As / Ais la / la bémol / la dièse
 B / B flat / B sharp si / si bemolle / si diesis H / B / His si / si bémol / si dièse
flat bemolle Be bémol
double flat doppio bemolle Doppel-Be double bémol
sharp diesis Kreuz dièse
double sharp doppio diesis Doppelkreuz double dièse
natural bequadro [mit] Auflösungszeichen bécarre
major maggiore dur majeur
minor minore moll mineur
dorian doriano dorisch dorien
phrygian frigio phrygisch phrygien
lydian lidio lydisch lydien
mixolydian misolidio myxolydisch mixolydien

Compositional Forms

English Italian German French Most commonly used meaning(s)

antifona, antienne, hymn of praise or loyalty, often sacred, originally
anthem Hymne, Choral
inno hymne antiphonal [compare chorale]
informal composition for dawn or morning music
aubade mattinata Morgenlied aubade
[compare serenade]
composition or passage in which one voice precisely
canon canone Kanon canon
follows another [compare fugue]
chorale corale Choral choral harmonized hymn tune [compare anthem]
concerto concerto Konzert concerto composition for soloist(s) and orchestra
concerto concerto grand baroque composition for solo group [concertino] and
Concerto grosso
grosso grosso concerto orchestra [ripieno]
set of light, informal movements for small group, one
divertimento divertimento Divertimento divertissement
player per part
etude, composition intended for practice of a particular point
studio übung étude
study of technique
composition or passage in which a theme is imitated
fugue fuga Fuge fugue
among the voices [compare canon]
interludio, entracte,
interlude Zwischenspiel music to be played between movements or acts
intermezzo interlude
choral setting of the Roman Catholic consecration of
mass messa Messe messe
the elements
staged dramatic vocal work of one or more acts, with
opera opera Oper opéra
orchestra [compare oratorio]
nonstaged, usually sacred, choral and instrumental
oratorio oratorio Oratorium oratorio
work [compare opera]
orchestral introduction to a larger work [compare
overture preludio Ouvertüre ouverture
prelude]
short composition to be played before another
prelude preludio Vorspiel prélude
composition [compare overture]
very free-form composition, suggestive of
rhapsody rapsodia Rhapsodie rapsodie
improvisation
composition in which the main theme returns after
rondo rondo Rondo rondeau each of several other themes

Ständchen, informal composition for evening music [compare

serenade serenata sérénade
Nachtmusik aubade]
large-scale multi-movement composition for one or
sonata sonata Sonate sonate
more instruments [compare symphony]
suite partita Suite suite set of programmatic (e.g. for the stage) movements
large-scale multi-movement composition for orchestra
symphony sinfonia Sinfonie symphonie
[compare sonata]
poema poème
tone poem Tondichtung free-form programmatic composition for orchestra
sinfonico symphonique
Variationen, successive alterations of a melody and its
variations variazioni variations
Veränderungen accompaniment

Instrument Names (in score order)

Abbreviation English Italian German French

instrument strumento Instrument instrument
winds strumenti a fiato Blasinstrumente instruments à vent
Holzbläser,
WW woodwinds legni bois
Holzblasinstrumente
Pic piccolo ottavino, flauto piccolo kleine Flöte petite flûte
Fl flute flauto Flöte [grande] flûte
alto flute, bass flute
AFl flauto contralto Altflöte flûte [alto] en sol
[incorrect]
Ob oboe oboe Oboe hautbois
ObA oboe d'amore oboe d'amore Liebesoboe hautbois d'amour
EH English horn corno inglese englisch[es] Horn cor anglais
PCl [sopranino] piccolo clarinet clarinetto piccolo Klarinette in Es [D] petite clarinette
Cl clarinet clarinetto Klarinette clarinette
BH basset horn corno di bassetto Bassethorn cor de basset
BCl bass clarinet clarinetto basso Baßklarinette clarinette basse
Sx [AS, TS,
saxophone sassofono Saxofon saxophone
BS]
Bn, Fg bassoon fagotto Fagott basson
CBn, CFg contrabassoon contrafagotto Kontrafagott contrebasson
Blechbläser,
Br brass ottoni cuivres
Blechinstrumente
horn, "French horn"
Hn corno Horn cor
[incorrect]
Tp trumpet tromba Trompete trompette
Cn cornet cornetta Kornett cornet à pistons
BTp bass trumpet tromba bassa Baßtrompete trompette basse
Tb trombone trombone Posaune trombone
Eu, TTu euphonium, tenor tuba eufonio Euphonium, Tenortuba tuba ordinaire
BTb bass trombone trombone basso Baßposaune trombone basse
Tu tuba, bass tuba tuba, tuba bassa Baßtuba tuba, tuba basse
Schlagzeug,
Pc percussion percussione batterie
Schlaginstrumente
Tm kettledrum timpano Pauke timbale
Batt battery batteria Schlagzeug-Garnitur batterie
tamburo [militare], caisse claire,
SD snare drum kleine Trommel
tamburo piccolo tambour militaire
cassa rullante,
TD tenor drum Rührtrommel caisse roulante
tamburo rullante
BD bass drum [gran] cassa große Trommel grosse caisse
tamburino, tamburo Schellentrommel,
Tmb tambourine tambour de basque
basco Tambourin
Cas castanet castagnetta Kastagnette castagnette
Cy cymbal piatto Becken, Teller cymbale
TT tam-tam tam-tam Tam-tam tam-tam
Tg triangle triangolo Triangel triangle
Ch chime campana Glocke cloche
glockenspiel, orchestral jeu de timbres,
Gl campanelli Glockenspiel
bells carillon
Xy xylophone silofono Xylophon, Strohfiedel xylophone
Mb marimba marimba Marimba marimba
Hilfsinstrumente, instruments
Aux auxiliary instruments strumenti ausiliari
sonstige Instrumente auxiliaires
Md mandolin mandolino Mandoline mandoline
Gt guitar chitarra Gitarre guitare
Hp harp arpa Harfe harpe
Cm cimbalom cimbalo ongarese Cimbalom cymbalum
instruments à
Kb keyboard instruments strumenti di tasto Tasteninstrumente
clavier
Pn, Pno, Pfte pianoforte, piano pianoforte Klavier piano
Hc, Hpc harpsichord clavicembalo Cembalo clavecin
Or, Org organ organo Orgel orgue
Hm harmonium, reed organ armonium Harmonium harmonium
Cel celesta celesta Celesta celesta

Streicher,
St, Str strings corde, archi cordes
Saiteninstrumente
Vn [V1, V2] violin violino Violine, Geige violon
Va viola viola Bratsche, Viola, Alt alto
Vc violoncello, 'cello violoncello Violoncell violoncelle
contrabass, double bass,
Cb contrabasso Kontrabaß contrebasse
string bass, 'bass

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This page last modified 6 August 2010