Italian terms (items with an asterisk will be on the Friday 5-9-03 exam)
al coda - "to
coda"
Alto - Woman's or child's
low range singing voice
Baritone - Men's medium
range singing voice
Basso - (Bass) Men's low
range singing voice
Cambiata - Boy's changing
voice
D.C. - "Da Capo"
(go to the beginning)
D.S. - "Dal Segno"
(go to the sign)
Mezzo Soprano - Woman's or
child's medium range singing voice
Opera - A play, often highly
dramatic, completely set to music. "Opera" literally means
"work."
Operetta - A musical comedy
with singing and dancing
Soprano - Woman's or child's
high range singing voice
Tenore - (Tenor) Men's
high range singing voice
Style Terms in Italian
*Dolce - "Sweetly"
*Legato - "Smoothly,
connected."
*Maestoso - Majestic"
Marcato - "Marked"
*Semplice - "Simply"
Solo - "One, Alone"
Sotto voce - "Subdued voice"
Staccato - "Short, detached"
Tenuto - "Long, held
for full value"
Tutti - "All, Together"
Tempo Terms in Italian
A Tempo - "Back to the
original tempo"
*Accelerando - "Speeding up"
*Allegro - Moderately fast"
Andante - "Going - with moderate motion"
*Largo - "Very slow"
Lento - "Slow"
Moderato - "Moderate"
Piu Mosso - "Faster"; literally "more moved"
Presto - "Fast"
Rallentando - "Slowing
down"
Ritardando - "Slowing, or holding back"
Vivace - "Vivacious, Fast"
Italian Modifying Terms (used with other Italian terms)
Assai - "Very"
Con brio - "With brilliance"
*Molto - "Very" or "Much"
*Ma non troppo - "But not too much"
*Piu - "More"
*Poco - "Little"
*Sempre - "Always"
Subito - "Suddenly"
Examples: Sempre Legato, Allegro ma non troppo, Subito Vivace, Piu Presto, Poco Rallentando, Allegro con brio.
Key signatures
C Major or a minor
F Major or d minor
B flat Major or g minor
E flat Major or c minor
A flat Major or f minor
G Major or e minor
D Major or b minor
A Major or f sharp minor
E Major or c sharp minor
Musical Symbols
The following symbols and key signatures will be on the exam:
Quarter rest
Forte
Common time
Eighth note
Whole rest
C Major or a minor
F Major or d minor
G Major or e minor
D Major or b minor
B flat Major or g minor
For a whole lot of definitions, click any of these links:
http://www.pianoinstructors.com/musicterms/term.html
http://www.hearts-ease.org/cgi-bin/termsn.cgi?data=conservatory&letter=a
http://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/music/terms.html