A
Andante moderately slow
Allegretto lively
Allegro fast
Allegro con brio fast with spirit
Allegro vivo fast and energetic
Allegretto scherzando lively and playful
Al Fine to the end
Accent an emphasis put on a note indicated by > or ^
Animato animated or energetic motion
Appoggiatura to lean; a note that leans into the following note
A Tempo return to the original tempo
A voce piena to full voice
A piacere freedom in performance; ad libitum
Affretando hurrying
Avec with
Appuy support
Assez enough
A suoni pieni to full sounds
Ancora still; again
volont ad libitum
Ad libitum at liberty; an improvised passage
Aperto open
Alla to the
laise comfortable
Assai much
Ardito dared; bold; energetic
Agitato agitated
Amabile loveable
A capriccio at will
A suo arbitro at your will
dfant de for lack of (if you dont have something)
Allmhlich breiter gradually wider
Ardent burning
Armonioso harmonious
Allez go
Attacca attaches (usually two movements)
Affetto affected
Ausfhrung execution
A suo comodo to your [the players] comfort
B
Brio spirit or vigor
Bravura skill
Ben ritmato quite rhythmical; good rhythm
Bewegt moves
Berceuse lullaby
Brillante brilliantly
Bien chante well sings
Breit wide
C
Cantabile to play in a singing style
Coda a closing section of a musical composition
Con with
Crescendo increase in volume
Con enfasi with emphasis
Calando lowering
Cantando singing
Corrente running
Comodo comfortable
Capriccio caprice; an impulsive piece; an impulsively written piece
Colla parte with the part
Come prima how first
Calmato eased
Cdez - yield
D
D.C. Da Capo go back to the beginning
D.S. Dal Segno go back to the sign
Decrescendo decrease in volume
Diminuendo to diminish volume; also decrease in volume
Dolce sweetly
Doux et expressif two and expressive
Dans in
Doloroso grievous
Du dbut from the beginning
Dolcissimo very sweetly
Delicato, -tezza, -tamente delicate, delicacy, delicately
Matin morning
Printemps Spring
Die viertel wie frher die achtel the quarters such as earlier the eighths
Divertimento fun; a fun piece
Due voce, -i two shoutingtwo voice
Dritte third (3rd)
Dolente - hurting
E
Espressivo to play with expression
En pressant deu a little urgent
Encore again
larger widen; broaden; take slower
Enfasi emphasis
Eilend hurrying
Eine one
Erste first (1st)
Einleitend initiating
Etwas langsamer somewhat more slowly
F
Fermata indicates to hold a note longer or until conductor continues
Fine the end
Forza force
Fuoco fire
Feroce fierce
Fois time
Fiero - proud
G
Giocoso playful
Gigue a dance
Grandioso grandiose
Gai cheerful
Gusto flavor
Grave serious
H
Hte rushing
Hongroise Hungarian
Heureux happy
I
Il canto the song
Intermezzo interval (music played during the interval or time between movements)
Idylle romance (a romantic piece)
J
Jusqua la fin even has the end
K
L
Legato smoothly connected
Lento slowly, without dragging
Leggiero light; gentle
Li secure
Les triolets sans rigueur play triplets without harshness
Leger light
Lgrement lightly
Lento slow
Lesto quick
Liberamente freely; liberally
Lusingando enticing
Lunga long
Lang long
Langsam slowly
Largamente widely
La traviata the corrupted
M
Maestoso majestic and dignified
Marcato accented and stressed, usually played heavily
Meno less
Molto very or much
Mosso motion
Morendo to dye or fade away
Moins vite less quickly
Mais bien but well
Misterisoso mysterious
Ma non troppo but not too much; also ma non tanto
Mystico mystical
Mobile moveable; wayward
Mancando being lacking; dying away
Mordant biting
Malinconico melancholy; dejected; sad; gloomy
N
Nobile noble
O
Ostinato insisted; a repeated motive
Ossia namely; an alternative segment
P
Pi more
Poco little
Poco a poco little by little
Presto very fast
Plus de langueur more languor or weakness
Port carries
Pressez press
Portamento bearing
Peu presse not hurried
Persistenza persistence
Passionato passionate
Peine pain; sadness; sorrow; trouble
Pesante heavy
Q
Quasi like or similar to
R
Rallentando gradually growing slower
Ritardando gradually growing slower
Rubato flexible tempo
Retenez keep
Retenu immediate reduction in tempo; kept; ritenuto
Risoluto in a resolute manner
Ritenuto retained;
<rinf. reinforced
Ralentir slow down
Rapide rapid
Respirer - breathe
S
Sempre always
Scherzo a joke piece or movement
Scherzoso a playful piece or movement
Scherzando playful; joking
Sforzando with a sudden strong accent, sfz
Simile continue, usually articulation, in the same manner
Staccato light and separated, detached
Subito suddenly
Solo played by one person or instrument
Soli played by an entire section
Sostenuto sustaining of tone or slackening in tempo
Soutenu sustained and flowing
Smorzando dampening
Sans lenteur without slowness
Senza without
Stringendo squeezing (notes closer together); slight accelerando
Sonore resonant; sonorous
Smorzando dampening
Sentimento feeling
Surtout especially
Schnell quickly
Schneller more quickly
Semplice simple
Stretto squeezed
Sehr very
Suivez follow
Solenne solemn
Spielen play
Suoni pieni full sounds
Sotto voce under voice
T
Tutti all play together
Toujours always
Trs en dehors very much outside
Trs modr very moderate
Tranquillo calm; peaceful; tranquil
Tema theme
Tanto much
Tosto immediately
Tiefer more deeply
Teneramente tenderly
Trockne Blumen dry flowers
U
Un peu plus anim a little more animated
Und - and
V
Vivo with energy, animated
Veloce - swift
Velocissimo con bravura very swift with great virtuosity
Vif lively
Volta turn [the page]
Vite quickly
Vivace lively
Vigore vitality
Volont will
Volubile - changeable
W
Wie trumend like dreaming
Z
Zu to
Zweite second (2nd)
Zeitma time measured
