Glossary of Terms and Signs

Dynamics pp p mp mf f ff sf
cres. decres. pianissimo piano mezzo piano mezzo forte forte fortissimo sforzando crescendo decrescendo diminuendo Very soft/very quiet Soft/quiet Moderately soft Moderately loud Loud Very loud A strong accent Gradually getting louder Gradually getting softer Gradually getting softer

dim. or dimin.

Tempo
rall. ritard. rit. or riten. accel. rallentando ritardando ritenuto accelerando a tempo andante moderato allegretto allegro Gradually getting slower Gradually getting slower Gradually getting slower Gradually getting faster Returning to former speed At an easy, walking pace At a moderate pace Moderately fast Lively and fast

Expressive Techniques
cantabile legato staccato sharp accent slur In a singing style Played smoothly and well connected Played short and detached Played hard and loud Emphasized at the beginning then taper off rather quickly Played legato

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Note signs
sharp flat natural pause Raises a note by a semitone Lowers a note by a semitone Cancels a sharp or flat Played slightly longer, approximately one and a half times the original note value Transposes a passage by one octave, either higher or lower First note is held for both the first and second note values Break in music for four beats A semibreve rest can also indicate a full bar rest regardless of the beats in that bar

all ottava (8va)

tie

semibreve rest

minim rest

Break in music for two beats

crotchet rest

Break in music for one beat

quaver rest

Break in music for a half beat