The Most Common Italian Musical Terms

One of the most confusing aspects of music is the use of Italian musical terms. I mean when you start out as a complete beginner haven't you got enough to think about!

Do you really have to learn a whole new written language as well?

Unfortunately the use of Italian musical terms has been the norm in music for hundreds of years, so we just have to follow the flow.

So to get you started here's is a list of the more common words you will come across and what they mean;

Accelerando Getting faster

Adagio Quite slow

Allegro Fast, cheerful

Andante Moderately slow or walking pace.

Arpeggio Broken chord in which the individual notes are sounded one after another instead of together.

Cadenza A solo passage in the manner of an improvisation,

Cantabile Songful, in a singing style.

Coda The last part of a piece, usually added to bring the piece it to a close.

Con Fuoco With fire.

Crescendo The dynamic effect of gradually growing louder, indicated in the musical score by the marking "<".

Decrescendo The dynamic effect of gradually growing softer, indicated in the musical score by the marking ">". Also referred to as diminuendo.

Diminuendo Growing softer.

Dolce Sweetly



Forte The Italian term for "loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "f".

Galliard Lively, French dance.

Glissando Rapid slide through pitches of a scale.

Grave Solemn; very, very slow.

Legato Smooth and connected.

Maestoso Majestic.

Meno, Less.

Mezzo-soprano Female voice of middle range.

Misterioso Mysteriously.

Nocturne "Night piece"; common in the nineteenth century, often for piano.

Pastorale Pastoral, country-like.

Pianissimo The Italian term for "very soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "pp".

Poco A little.

Presto Very fast.

Staccato Short, detached notes, marked with a dot above them.

Tutti "All", the opposite of solo.

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