Italian Musical Terms

The majority of musical terms are in Italian, so this page has quite a long list. The other common languages for musical terms are German and French.

Some of the words below have an audio file attached so you can hear how it is pronounced. Just click on the speaker icon.

Remember, there is often more than one way to pronounce some words. The examples given here are just one suggested pronunciation.

Musical Term	Abbreviation	English	Other information and examples of usage
a		at; to; by; for; in	eg: a tempo = in time (back to the previous speed).
a capella		unaccompanied	usually in choral music
a piacere		at pleasure	The performer is not bound to follow the given rhythm exactly.
accelerando	(accel.)	gradually getting faster	An increase in the speed of the music.
accento		accented; emphasised
ad libitum	(ad lib.)	at choice; freely	1) A passage may be performed freely. 2) An instrument in a score may be omitted.
adagietto		rather slow	Usually a little faster than adagio
adagio		slowly	Often indicates a speed somewhere between andante and largo
affabile		friendly
affettuoso		tenderly
affrettando		hurrying
agitato		agitated; restless
al; alla		in the manner of	eg: alla marcia = in the style of a march
alla breve		with a minim beat
allargando		broadening
allegretto		fairly quick	Faster than Andante and usually slower than Allegro
allegro		fast
alt		high	"in alt" is used in volcal music to refer to notes in the octave above the treble stave.
amabile		amiable; pleasant
amore		love
andante		walking speed	Moderately slow
andantino		like walking speed	This can mean either slightly slower or slightly faster than andante. It is ambiguous.
anima		soul; spirit	eg: con anima = with spirit
animando		becoming more lively
animato		animated; lively
appassionato		with passion
arco		with the bow	An instruction to string players to use the bow.
arioso		like an aria	Play in the style of an aria (singing)
assai		very	eg: allegro assai = very fast
attacca		go straight on	Indicates an immediate move to the next section of music.
ben		well
bis		twice	Indicates the repetition of a short passage.
bravura		skill; brilliance
brio		vigour	eg: con brio = with vigour
calando		getting softer; dying away	Usually includes slowing down
cantabile		in a singing style
cantando		singing
capriccioso		in a whimsical or fanciful style
col; colla; colle		with	eg: colla voce = with the voice
come		as; similar to	eg: come prima = as before
comodo		convenient	eg: tempo comodo = at a comfortable speed
con		with	eg: con moto = with movement
crescendo	(cresc.)	gradually getting louder
da capo	(D.C.)	from the beginning	An instruction to repeat the misc from the beginning.
dal segno	(D.S.)	from the sign	An instruction to repeat the misc from the sign.
deciso		with determination
decrescendo	(decresc.)	gradually getting softer
delicato		delicate
diminuendo	(dim.)	gradually getting softer
dolce		sweetly	eg: dolcissimo = as sweet as possible
dolente		sad; mournful
dolore		grief	eg: doloroso = sorrowful
doloroso		sorrowful
doppio movimento		twice as fast
e; ed		and
energico		energetic
espressivo	(espr.)	expressive
estinto		as soft as possible
facile		easy
felice		happy
fermata		pause
feroce		fierce
fine		the end	Often used in conjunction with "da capo" or "dal segno" to indicate where to end the piece after repeating. eg: al fine = to the end
flessibile		flexible
forte	(f)	loud; strong
fortepiano	(fp)	loud then immediately soft
fortissimo	(ff)	very loud
forza		force	eg: forzando (fz) = strongly accented
fretta		haste
fuoco		fire
furioso		furious
giocoso		playful; humerous
giojoso		joyful; merry
giusto		proper; exact
grandioso		grandly
grave		very slow; solemn
grazioso		graceful
impetuoso		impetuous
incalzando		getting quicker
inquieto		restless
in relievo		prominent	A direction to make the melody stand out.
lacrimoso		sad
largamente		broadly
larghetto		rather slow	Slightly faster than largo.
largo		rather slow; stately
legato		smoothly	Indicates no break between notes.
leggiero		light; nimble
lento		slow
liberamente		freely
l'istesso		the same	eg: l'istesso tempo = at the same speed
loco		at the normal pitch	Used to cancel an 8va direction. Also used to confirm that 8va is not intended.
lugubre		mournful
lunga		long	eg: lunga pausa = long pause
lusigando		coaxing
ma		but	eg: allegro ma non troppo = quick but not too quick
maestoso		majestic
mancando		fading away
marcato	(marc.)	emphatic; accented
marziale		in a military style
meno		less	eg: meno forte = less loud
mesto		sad
mezzoforte	(mf)	moderately loud
mezzopiano	(mp)	moderately soft
misterioso		mysterious
misura		measure	eg: alla misura = in strict time; senza misura = in free time
moderato		moderate speed	eg: allegro moderato = moderately fast.
molto		very; much	eg: allegro molto = very fast
morendo		dying away
mosso		movement
moto		movement
niente		nothing
nobilmente		nobly
non		not
nuovo		new	e.g. di nuovo = again
obbligato		obligatory	Indicates that an instrument has a special role and is essential.
ossia		or; alternatively	Often used to indicate a simpler version of a difficult passage.
ostinato		persistent	Generally refers to a persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic figure.
parlando		speaking	A direction for a singer to sing in a conversational style.
patetico		with deep feeling
pausa		pause
per		by; for; to
perdendosi		dying away
pesante		heavy
piacevole		pleasant
piangevole		plaintive
pianissimo	(pp)	very soft
piano	(p)	soft
più		more	e.g. più forte = louder
pizzicato		plucked	An instruction to string players to pluck the strings, rather than bow them.
placido		calm; peaceful
pochettino	(poch.)	rather little
poco		a little	e.g. poco a poco = little by little
possible		possible	e.g. presto possible = as fast as possible
precipitando		rushing; headlong
presto		very fast
prima		first	(Prima; Primo) e.g. prima volta = first time; tempo primo = revert to the speed at the beginning of the piece of music
quasi		as if; resembling	e.g. quasi recitativo = like a recitative
rallentando	(rall.)	gradually getting slower
rigoroso		strict
rinforzando	(rf; rfz)	reinforcing
risoluto		bold; strong
ritardando	(rit.)	gradually getting slower
ritenuto	(rit.)	held back
ritmico		rhythmically
rubato		with some freedom of time
scherzando		playful; joking	Also scherzoso.
scherzo		joke; jest	A movement in a piece, generally light and humerous in nature.
seconda		second	(Seconda; secondo)
semplice		simple; plain
sempre		always	e.g. sempre staccato = always detached
senza		without	e.g. senza misura = freely (not in time)
segue		go straight on
sforzando	(sf; sfz)	forced; accented
simile	(sim.)	in the same way
slargando		getting slower
slancio		enthusiasm
smorzando	(smorz.)	dying away	Both tone and speed
soave		gentle; smooth
solenne		solemn; grave
sonoro		resonant; with rich tone
sopra		above
sospirando		sighing
sostenuto		sustained
sotto		below	eg: sotto voce = in an undertone
spirito		spirited
spiritoso		spirited
staccato		detached
strepitoso		noisy; boisterous
stretto		quickening the speed	Also means overlapping entries of a fugue subject.
stringendo		gradually getting faster
subito		suddenly
tacet		silent	A direction that a particular part has nothing to play in a section of music.
tanto		so much
tempo		speed	eg: a tempo = return to the previous speed, after a slowing down or speeding up.
teneramente		tenderly
tenuto		held
tosto		swift; rapid
tranquillo		calm
trionfale		triumphant
triste		sad; sorrowful
troppo		too much	eg: allegro ma non troppo = fast, but not too fast.
tutti		all; everyone
veloce		swift
vigoroso		vigorous; strong
vivace		lively
vivo		lively
voce		voice
volante		flying; fast
volta		time	e.g. prima volta = first time
volti subito	(V.S.)	turn the page at once