Church Music

Musical Terms Every Musician Should Know

If you have had even a little exposure to sheet music, you will have come across a number of musical terms. Sometimes they are in English but more frequently they will be in the musical standard language of Italian. Here is a short glossary of the most common terms the singer will encounter.

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Volume Terms

Abbreviation	Italian	English
pp	pianissimo	very soft
p	piano	soft
mp	mezzo-piano	medium soft
mf	mezzo-forte	medium loud
f	forte	loud
ff	fortissimo	very loud

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Tempo / Mood Terms

largo - slow

andante - a walking tempo

moderato - medium tempo

allegro - happily

vivace - lively

presto - fast

con moto - with movement

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Terms of change

accelerando - faster

rallentando - a little slower

ritardando- slower

crescendo - louder

diminuendo- softer

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Terms of Articulation

legato - smooth and connected

staccato - short disconnected notes

marcato - march-like; Accent first part of note and not completely connected

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Other Terms

a cappella - without instrumental accompaniment

fine - the end

coda - an extended end section