Italian Musical Terms
Italian words are used on musical staves to guide performers on how a piece should be played. These words were first used by Italian composers in the 17th century and have since spread worldwide. Below is a complete glossary organized by category.
1. Tempo
These are tempo markings. The specific BPM number is only a general guide. In modern music, the metronome mark indicating BPM (such as &quad;= 120) can replace the tempo name.
| Term | Description | BPM |
|---|---|---|
| adagietto | fairly slow, a bit faster than adagio | 72–76 |
| adagio | slow | 66–76 |
| allegretto | moderately fast; slower than allegro | 112–120 |
| allegrissimo | very fast, faster than allegro | 172–176 |
| allegro | fast | 120–168 |
| allegro moderato | fast, slightly slower than allegro | 116–120 |
| andante | at a walking pace | 76–108 |
| andante moderato | moderate walking pace, slightly faster than andante | 92–112 |
| andantino | moderate tempo, faster than andante | 80–108 |
| grave | very slow | 25–45 |
| larghetto | rather slow and broad, somewhat faster than largo | 60–66 |
| larghissimo | extremely slow, even slower than largo | 25 and under |
| largo | very slow and broad | 40–60 |
| lento | slow | 45–60 |
| moderato | moderately | 108–120 |
| prestissimo | extremely fast, faster than presto | 200 and over |
| presto | very fast | 168–200 |
| vivace | fast and lively | 140–176 |
| vivacissimo | very fast and lively, faster than vivace | 172–176 |
Tempo change indicators
Words indicating gradual changes can be extended with a dashed line to show the duration of the change, for example: "rit. _ _ _".
| Term | Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a piacere | — | at pleasure, the performer decides |
| a tempo | — | return to the previous tempo |
| accelerando | accel. | gradually faster |
| rallentando | rall. | gradually slower |
| ritardando | rit., ritard. | gradually slower |
| ritenuto | riten. | immediately slower |
| rubato | — | free tempo, without a steady beat |
| stringendo | — | gradually faster, literally "pressing" |
2. Dynamics
Dynamic terms indicate the relative variation in the volume of sound, not specific volumes. Unlike other Italian terms, dynamics are usually written below the staff, or between the two staves of a grand staff.
| Term | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pianississimo | ppp | as soft as possible |
| pianissimo | pp | very soft |
| piano | p | soft |
| mezzo piano | mp | moderately soft |
| mezzo forte | mf | moderately loud |
| forte | f | loud |
| fortissimo | ff | very loud |
| fortississimo | fff | as loud as possible |
Dynamic changes
Crescendo and diminuendo hairpins are used for dynamic changes over a few bars, while cresc. and dim. are used for longer changes. Word commands can be extended with a dashed line to indicate the duration.
| Term | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| crescendo | cresc. or hairpin | gradually louder |
| diminuendo | dim. or hairpin | gradually softer |
| fortepiano | fp | loud, then immediately soft |
| sforzando, forzando, sforzato | sfz, sf or fz | suddenly accented (applies to notes or chords) |
| rinforzando | rfz or rf | reinforced (applies to notes, chords or phrases) |
3. Articulation & technique
These terms guide the performer to use a specific playing technique to achieve the desired sound.
| Term | Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| arpeggio | arp. | chord notes played one after another instead of simultaneously |
| glissando | gliss. | slide continuously from one note to another |
| legato | — | notes played smoothly, connected |
| mano destra | m.d. | right hand |
| mano sinistra | m.s. | left hand |
| con sordino | — | with mute, or (on piano) with the sostenuto pedal depressed |
| senza sordino | — | without mute, or (on piano) without the sostenuto pedal |
| pizzicato | pizz. | plucked with the fingers instead of bowed |
| portamento | port. | smoothly glide from one note to another |
| tutti | — | played by the entire ensemble |
| staccato | stacc. | notes played short and detached |
| staccatissimo | staccatiss. | notes played extremely short and detached |
| vibrato | — | a rapid, repeated slight change in pitch |
4. Character
Character terms help the performer capture the mood of a piece through variations in tempo, dynamics and articulation.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| agitato | agitated |
| animato | animated, lively |
| cantabile | in a singing style |
| con amore | with love |
| con brio | with spirit |
| con fuoco | with fire |
| con moto | with motion |
| dolce | sweet |
| doloroso | sorrowful |
| energico | energetic |
| espressivo | expressive |
| grazioso | graceful |
| leggiero | light, airy |
| maestoso | majestic |
| marcato | marked, accented |
| risoluto | bold, strong |
| scherzando | playful |
| sostenuto | sustained |
| tenuto | held, sustained |
| tranquillo | calm |
5. Repeats
These directions are used as navigation marks to instruct the performer to repeat a certain section of the piece.
| Term | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | — | the end of a piece |
| Coda | coda sign | the concluding passage of a piece |
| Segno | segno sign | the start or end of a repeat |
| Da Capo | D.C. | repeat from the beginning |
| Da Capo al Fine | D.C. al Fine | repeat from the beginning until Fine |
| Da Capo al Coda | D.C. al Coda | repeat from the beginning to the Coda sign, then jump to the final Coda passage |
| Da Capo al Segno | D.C. al Segno | repeat from the beginning to the Segno sign |
| Dal Segno | D.S. | repeat from the Segno sign |
| Dal Segno al Fine | D.S. al Fine | repeat from the Segno sign until Fine |
| Dal Segno al Coda | D.S. al Coda | repeat from the Segno sign to the Coda sign, then jump to the final Coda passage |
6. General terms
General terms are usually used in conjunction with other terms, such as allegro molto (very fast) and con amore (with love).
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ad libitum | at will (usually depends on tempo and style) |
| assai | very |
| con | with |
| ma | but |
| ma non tanto | but not too much |
| ma non troppo | but not too much |
| meno | less |
| molto | much, very |
| non | not |
| più | more |
| poco | a little |
| poco a poco | little by little |
| senza | without |
| simile | similarly |
| subito | suddenly, quickly |