Definition
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Term
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Very slow
|
Largo
|
Slow and stately
|
Adagio
|
At a walking pace
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Andante
|
Moderately
|
Moderato
|
Fast, quick, and bright
|
Allegro
|
Very fast
|
Presto
|
Speeding up
|
Accelerando
|
Slowing down
|
Ritardando
|
Continuous slide upward or downward between two notes (especially harp)
|
Glissando
|
Play with the mute (string instruments)
|
Con Sord
|
A quavering or vibratory sound, especially a rapid alternation of sung or played notes
|
Trill
|
Play only on the G string
|
Sul G
|
Very soft
|
Pianissimo
|
Soft
|
Piano
|
Somewhat soft
|
Mezzo Piano
|
Somewhat loud
|
Mezzo Forte
|
Loud
|
Forte
|
Very loud
|
Fortissimo
|
Getting louder
|
Crescendo
|
Getting softer
|
Diminuendo
|
Sweetly
|
Dolce
|
Bowing term played louder or more forcefully than the surrounding music
|
Marcato
|
Dot that indicates notes should be detached
|
Staccato
|
Notes should be smooth and connected
|
Legato
|
For strings, plucked rather than bowed
|
Pizzicato
|
To be played with the bow, usually after plucking
|
Arco
|
Birdseye that means a note should be held
|
Fermata
|
Chord played in series like a harp
|
Arpeggio
|
Played by just one person
|
Solo
|
Played by all together
|
Tutti
|
Played with the wood of the bow
|
Col Legno
|
Two players reading the same musical staff to divide into two or more voice parts
|
Divisi
|
Two notes played on two different strings at the same time
|
Double Stop
|
Words sang by a vocalist.
|
Lyrics
|
A beat in music held for four beats
|
Whole Note
|
A beat in music held for two beats
|
Half Note
|
A beat in music held for one beat
|
Quarter Note
|
A beat in music held for 1/8 beat
|
Eighth Note
|
A beat in music held for 1/16 beat
|
Sixteenth Note
|
A period of silence between notes
|
Rest
|
To perform two different notes in one bowing (legato)
|
Slur
|
Two notes of the same pitch connected by a curve indicating that they are to be played for the combined duration of their time values
|
Tie
|
A term marked by two lines and two dots implicating that you have to play the given measure again
|
Repeat
|
Any of the sections, typically of equal time value, into which a musical composition is divided, shown on a score by vertical lines across the staff; bar
|
Measure
|
A set of five parallel lines and the spaces between them, on which notes are written to indicate their pitch
|
Staff
|
Any of several symbols placed at the left-hand end of a staff, indicating the pitch of the notes written on it
|
Clef
|
The clef that violins play
|
Treble
|
The clef that violas play
|
Alto
|
The clef that cellos and basses play
|
Bass
|
A singing range between baritone and alto
|
Tenor
|
A singing range between tenor and bass
|
Baritone
|
A time signature indicating 2 or 4 half-note beats in a bar; alla breve
|
Cut Time
|
Two numbers divided by a bar after a clef noting what rhythm the piece is played in
|
Time Signature
|
Sharps or flats on a staff indicating what key the piece should be played in
|
Key Signature
|
An extra note added as an embellishment and not essential to the harmony or melody
|
Grace Note
|
A couple of corrections- 8th notes receive 1/2 beat, not 1/8th. 16th notes receive 1/4 beat (in common time). The reason they are called by those fractions is because it takes 8 8th notes to equal a whole note, and 16 16th notes to equal a whole note. All of the divisions (half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth) are named by their relation to a whole note.
Grateful to find your quizzes. Thanks.