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GLOSRIO DE TERMOS MUSICAIS

Accelerando (it.) - Gradually increasing the speed. [back]

Adagio (it.) - Slowly. Also as a name for a piece written in that tempo. [back]

Agitato - In an agitated, exited or restless style [back]

Air - a tune, song or melody. Someteimes found in suites. [back]

Alegria (it.) - Joyful flamenco dance from the province of cadiz. [back]

Allargando (it.) - Growing broader, getting slower and louder. [back]

Allegretto (it.) - Just a "little allegro", slower than allegro. [back]

Allegro (it.) - Quick, fast, but not as fast as presto. [back]

Allemande (it.) - German dance in 3/4 time, 16th/17th, rather slow. Like a landler. Often
the first dance in the classic suite. [back]

Amoroso (it.) - Amorous, loving, affectionately. [back]

Andante (it.) - Rahter slow, at a moderate pace. [back]

Andantino (it.) - A little faster than andante. (Originally it meant just the opposite, slower
than andante, but is no more interpreted like that.) [back]

Animato (it.) - Animated, with spirit, lively. (Originally it meant just the opposite, slower
than andante, but is no more interpreted like that.) [back]

Aria (it.) - A melodic composition like an air, a song or a tune. Originally for a single
voice with or without accompaniment. Often also an instrumental piece with a singable
melody. [back]

Arietta (it.) - A small aria or air. [back]

Arpeggio (it.) - In the Style of a harp. The notes of a chord are struck consecutively one
after the other. [back]

A tempo (it.) - In time, back to original tempo. [back]

Aubade (fr.) - a morning music, the opposite of a serenade. [back]

Barcarolle (fr.)/ Barcarola (it.) - Song in the style of the Venetian gondoliers. [back]

Berceuse (fr.) - A cradle song, a lullaby. [back]

Bolero - Spanish dance in 3/4 time, 19th century. Also known as Cachuca. [back]

Bourree (fr.) - old french dance, quick, in double time, often part of suites of pieces
[back]

Brillante (fr./it.) - In a bright, sparkling, brilliant manner. [back]

Cantilene (ger.) / Cantilena (it.) - A ballad or light popular song. [back]

Canzone (it.) - A song or folk song. [back]

Canconetta (it.) - A little song or folk song. [back]

Caprice (fr.) Capriccio (it.) Capricioso (it.) - a humorous fanciful composition with a
somewhat irregular form. [back]

Cavatina - A melody of a simple form. A song without a second part or a "Da Capo" a
humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form. [back]

Choro - A typical Brasilian music genre deriving from a mix of different european styles
like polka, Scottish, tango and havanaise. Melodies emphasizing 16th notes. Choro
means "crying". [back]

Courante (fr.) Corrente (it.) - From "running". Old french dance in AB-form and 3/2 time.
The second dance in the classic suite. a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat
irregular form. [back]

Crescendo (it.) - Gradually getting louder. Abreviated: cresc. [back]

Cueca - Chilian dance written in 6/8 time with the accompaniment in 3/4 time. [back]

Da Capo (it.) - The sign at the end of a piece saying to begin over from from the
beginning. Abreviation: D.C. [back]

Da Capo Al Fine (it.) - The sign at the end of a piece saying to begin over from from the
beginning up to where it says "Fine". [back]

Deciso (it.) - Decided, energetic, with firmness. [back]

Delicato (it.) - Delicatly. [back]

Diminuendo (it.) - Gradually getting softer. Abreviated: dim. [back]

Divertimento (it.) - (1) A light composition, (1) A suite for instrument [back]

Decrescendo (it.) - Gradually getting softer. [back]

Dolce (it.) - Soft, sweetly. [back]

Doloroso (it.) - Sorrowful, sadly. [back]

Doppio movimento (it.) - Double the speed, twice as fast. [back]

Entree (fr.) - an introduction, a march-like piece played during the entrance of a dancing
group, or played before a ballet. Usually in 4/4 time. [back]

Espressivo (it.) - With expression. [back]

Etude (fr.) / Study - a usualy short composition meant to excercice some special
difficulty or technique. [back]

Fandango (span.) - lively spanish dance in tripple time, beginning slow and getting
faster. [back]

Fantasia (it.)/Fantasie (ger.)/Fantaisie (Fr.) - A compositions that is not in any of the


regular forms. [back]

Fine (it.) - The End. This is where to end a piece after a repeat or partial repeat. [back]

Forte (it.) - Loud. Abreviated: f [back]

Fortissimo (it.) - Very Loud. Abreviated: ff [back]

Fortississimo (it.) - As loud as possible. Abreviated: fff [back]

Fugue - A polyphonic composition with one or more short themes introduced first by a
one voice and repeated by other voices in turn. All this happening with hamonization

ocoording to the rule of the counterpoint. [back]

Furioso (it.) - Furiously, wildly. [back]

Galop (fr.) - a lively round-dance in 2/4 time [back]

Gavotte (fr.) - Frenche Dance in 4/4, 17th/18th century, still alive in the Bretagne, rather
quick [back]

Gigue (fr.) - (Jig) lively Scotisch or Irish dance in 6/8, 17th/18th century, often the last
part in a suite (from english jig, Giga, Geige) [back]

Grandioso(it.) - Grand, noble, pompous. [back]

Grave (fr.) - Slow (the slowest tempo in music) or deep in pitch [back]

Grazioso (it.) - In a graceful style. [back]

Hornpipe - An old english dance in a lively tempo written in triple and later also in
quadruple time. [back]

Landler (ger.) - A dance in 3/4 or 3/8 time and lively and graceful character. Popular
among Styrian peasants. [back]

Larghetto (it.) - Rather slow, but not as slow als largo [back]

Largo (it.) - very slow, broadly. [back]

Legato (it.) - In a smooth, connected manner. Opposite of staccato [back]

Lento (it.) - Slow [back]

Maestoso(it.) - Majestic, stately, with dignity. [back]

Marcato(it.) - With emphasis. [back]

Maxixe - A Brazilian dance first introduced in Paris in 1912. It is in 2/4 time of rapid
tempo with a slight syncopation. [back]

Mazurka - A lively Polish dance in 3/8 or 3/4 [back]

Meno mosso (it.) - Less movement, slower. [back]

Menuet / Minuet (fr.) - Old french dance, in triple time, 17th/18th century, (from menu
pas - small step) [back]

Mezzo forte (it.) - Half loud, medium loud. Abreviated: mf [back]

Mezzo piano (it.) - Half soft, medium softly. Abreviated: mp [back]

Milonga (it.) - 1.the peppy, cheerful dance milonga as part of the tango; 2.the 'milonga
campera' or 'milonga surena', an Argentinian folk music form, often performed just by a
singer with a guitar, and of very clear hispanic influence. The Milonga rhythm is
characterized through the devision of the 4/4 time in 3+3+2. [back]

Moderato - Moderately, in a moderate time. [back]

Modinha - Brasilan dance in a sentimantal mood, Brasilian love song. [back]

Molto (it.) - Much, very much. [back]

Moerendo (it.) - Dying away, fading. [back]

Musette(fr.) - (1) A small bagpipe or (2) a melody or dance written over a ground note to
imitate a the sound of a bagpipe [back]

Passepied (fr.) - French dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time, sometimes in the German Suites.

N
[back]

Passionato (it.) - With passion, with fevor. [back]

Partita (it) - A Suite. [back]

Pavane - Slow solemn dance in duple (or sometimes triple) time, of Spanish origin;
generally in three sections, each one repeated. [back]

Pianissimo (it.) - Very softly. Abreviated: pp [back]

Pianississimo (it.) - As softly as possible. Abreviated: ppp [back]

Piano (it.) - Softly. Abreviated: p [back]

Piu mosso, piu moto (it) - More motion, quicker. [back]

Polacca / Polonaise (fr.) - A Polish dance in moderate 3/4 time reapearting different
short motives. [back]

Polka - A dance in 2/4 time coming from Bohemia. [back]

Prelude (it) - A piece to be played as an introduction or opening piece but often also a
single romantic piece, following no sepcific form. [back]

Presto (it) - Rapidly, very fast, faster than vivace [back]

Prestissimo (it) - As fast as possible. [back]

Quadrille (fr.) - French dance [back]

Rallentando (it.) - Getting gradually slower. [back]

Ritardando (it.) - Getting gradually slower. [back]

Ritenuto (it.) - Detained, held back, slowed down. [back]

Romance (fr.)/ Romanza (it.) / Romanze (ger.)- Romantic, sentimental melody. [back]

Rondo - from the french "rondeau". A piece where a main theme reappears in alteration
with contrasting other themes. Most often in the form of ABABA or more modern
ABACAB and coda. [back]

Sarabande (it.) - A dance of spanish origin in 3/4 or 3/2 time. Often part of old suites. It
has a stady pace and mostly two parts. [back]

Serenade (fr.) - An evening music. A compostion for use in the open air at night. [back]

Siciliano (it.) Sicilienne (fr.) - - a soft, slow peasant dance in 6/8 or 12/8 time, often in a
minor key. Rather similar to a Pastorale, usually in ABA form. It usually has a melody in
dotted rhythms, with a broken chord accompaniment. [back]

Sonata (it.) - A composition for one or two instruments with several movements, each
following specific forms and charachteristics. [back]

Sonatina (it.) / Sonatine (fr.)- A short sonata, smaller, with less and shorter movements
and the subjects not develloped at lenght. [back]

Staccato (it.) - In a crisp, detached separated manner. Opposite of legato [back]

Stringendo (it.) - hasting the movement, becoming faster, pressing. [back]

Study / Etude - a usualy short composition meant to excercice some special difficulty or
technique. [back]

Suite (fr.) - A set or series of movements, each consisting of a dance form ( Allemande,
Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, Gavotte, Menuet, Bourree, Passepied, etc.) and all in the
same key. Often preceded by a Prelude. [back]

Tango - A dance originated in the streets and salons of Buenos Aires, Argentine. Its is
characterised as very aspassionate. [back]

Tarantella - A rapid italian dance (supposed to cure the bite of a tarantula). [back]

Tempo (it.) - Time in the meaning of "rate of movement". [back]

Toccata (it.) - Brilliant, prelude-like composition. [back]

Tranquillo (it.) - Tranquilly, quietly, calmly. [back]

Valse(fr.) - See Waltz [back]

Variations - A theme repeated several times, each time with modifications in time,
melody or harmony, but still staying recognisable as the original theme. [back]

Vivace (it.) - Lively, very fast. [back]

Waltz / Valse (fr.) / Valce (it.) / Walzer (ger.)- A dance form said to originate in Bohemia
or the German landler. Its in 3/4 time. "Classical" waltzes are compositions in waltzform but not for dancing. [back]

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