Music Terms

Term	Meaning
Accelerando	Gradually speeding up the tempo.
Accidentals	Sharps, flats, and naturals not included in a key signature.
Adagio	Slow.
Ad Libitum	Indicates that the musician may play a composition with great freedom.
Agitato	Played in a restless or excited manner.
Allegro	Fast and lively.
Andante	Smooth and flowing, at a moderate speed.
Animato	Lively or animated.
Appassionato	With great feeling.
Cadence	A series of chords that brings a composition or one of its sections to a conclusion.
Cantabile	Songlike.
Chord	A combination of three or more tones played at the same time.
Clef	A sign that fixes the positions of notes on the lines and spaces of the staff.
Counterpoint	Music that consists of two or more melodies played at the same time.
Crescendo	Growing louder.
Decrescendo	Growing softer.
Diminuendo	Gradually growing softer.
Espressivo	With expression.
Flat	The half step below a given tone, with the same letter name as that tone. A flat is also the sign used to show that a tone should be lowered a half step.
Forte	Loud.
Fortissimo	Very loud.
Interval	The distance between two notes. The interval consisting of the notes C and E is called a third because E is the third note of a diatonic scale from C to C. Likewise, C and F is a fourth, C and G a fifth, C to A a sixth, and so on.Key is the particular scale used for a piece of music. It is based on a certain note, called the tonic.
Largo	Extremely slow.
Ledger Line	A short line drawn above or below the staff. It is used for notes too high or too low to appear on the staff.
Legato	Smoothly connected.
Maestoso	Majestic.
Measure	A unit of musical time containing an indicated number of beats.
Meter	The arrangement of beats in a piece of music. It is indicated by the time signature, a fraction that appears at the beginning of the piece.
Mezzo	Medium. It modifies other terms, as in mezzo forte (moderately loud).
Moderato	Playing in moderate tempo.
Modulation	Moving from one key to another key in a musical composition.
Molto	Very or much. It modifies other terms, as in molto allegro (very fast).
Motive	A series of notes repeated throughout a piece of music.
Natural	A note that is neither sharp nor flat. A natural is also the sign used to cancel a preceding sharp or flat.
Octave	An interval of eight notes.
Pianissimo	Very soft.
Piano	Soft.
Piu	More. It modifies other terms, as in piu presto (faster).
Prestissimo	As fast as possible.
Presto	Extremely fast.
Rallentando	Gradually slowing the tempo.
Ritardando	Gradually slowing the tempo.
Scale	A series of tones from one tone to its octave, arranged according to pitch.
Sforzando	Played with a sudden, strong accent.
Sharp	The half step above a given tone, with the same letter name as that tone. A sharp is also the sign used to show that a tone should be raised a half step.
Staccato	With distinct tones, sharply separated from one another. The tones are performed as rapidly as possible.
Staff	Consists of five horizontal lines and the spaces between them. Notes are written on the lines and spaces.
Tempo	The characteristic speed of a piece of music.Theme is the main melody of a musical composition.
Tremolo	Playing in a quivering or trembling style.
Vibrato	A slight wavering in pitch, occurring so quickly that it sounds like a single pitch.
Vivace	Played in a lively manner or with great speed.

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