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COMMON TERMS AND SIGNS
COMMON TERMS AND SIGNS
(MOSTLY) ITALIAN PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONS
(MOSTLY) ITALIAN PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONS
(LEVEL 1 NCEA)
(LEVEL 1 NCEA)
ADJECTIVES
ADJECTIVES
AD LIBITUM (AD LIB) – FREELY (usually an instruction to improvise)
AGITATO – AGITATED
AMOROSO – LOVING
ANIMANDO – BECOMING LIVELY
ANIMATO – LIVELY
BRIO – VIGOUR
CANTABILE IN A SINGING STYLE
COMODO – CONVENIENT, COMFORTABLE
DECISO – WITH DETERMINATION
DELICATO – DELICATELY
DOLCE SWEETLY
ENERGICO – WITH ENERGY
ESPRESSIVO EXPRESSIVELY
GIOCOSO PLAYFULLY
GRAZIOSO GRACEFULLY
LARGAMENTE BROADLY
LEGGIERO LIGHTLY
MAESTOSO MAJESTICALLY
MARZIALE MARCH-LIKE
MESTO – SAD
MOSSO, MOTO MOVEMENT
PESANTE – HEAVILY
POCO LITTLE
POCO A POCO GRADUALLY
RISOLUTO – BOLD, STRONG RESOLUTELY
RITMICO - RHYTHMICALLY
RUBATO – WITH SOME FREEDOM OF TIME
SCHERZANDO – PLAYFUL, JOKING
SEMPLICE – SIMPLE, PLAIN
SEMPRE – ALWAYS
STRINGENDO – GRADUALLY GETTING FASTER
SUBITO – SUDDENLY
TANTO – SO MUCH
TRISTE – SADLY
TROPPO – TOO MUCH
SIMILE SIMILARLY
SOSTENUTO SUSTAINED
TENUTO – HELD
TRANQUILLO CALMLY
VIVO - LIVELY
QUALIFIERS
QUALIFIERS
AL, ALLA LIKE
ASSAI VERY
CON, COL WITH
E AND
MA BUT
MENO LESS
PIU MORE
SENZA WITHOUT
PRIMA, PRIMO – FIRST
SECONDA – SECOND
VOLTA – TIME (EG PRIMA VOLTA, FIRST TIME)
TUTTI - EVERYBODY PLAY TOGETHER
TACET - BE SILENT (DON'T PLAY THE WRITTEN PART)
DIVISI (Div) - SPLIT INTO SEPARATE PARTS
A2 (a deu) - PLAY A SINGLE LINE TOGETHER (the opposite of DIVISI)
REPEATS, 1st TIME BARS and CODAS
REPEATS, 1st TIME BARS and CODAS
WHOLE SECTION REPEATS
FIRST AND SECOND TIME BARS
D.C. and D.S. al FINE
D.C. and D.S. al CODA
Repeat Sign
Most styles of music call for their individual sections to be repeated at times. In fact, this kind of repetition is often important to the structure of a musical composition, Two dots before a double bar form a repeat sign,
If a repeat sign occurs at the end of the piece, it indicates that you should repeat the entire piece once from the beginning. Play "Hot Cross Buns" twice through in tempo.
If a repeat sign occurs in the middle of a piece, go back to the beginning and repeat the section before going on.
Da Capo
D.C. is an abbreviation of the Italian phrase Da Capo, meaning "from the head.' This marking means the same thing as a single repeat sign--repeat the piece from its beginning.
Inverted Repeat Sign
If a reverse repeat sign occurs earlier in the piece, you should only repeat from that point onward. Here the inverted repeat sign means that you should skip the first measure when you repeat the piece.
Alternate Endings
A bracket and numeral is used to mark alternate endings for a section. Here you should skip the first ending on the repeat and go on to the second ending.
D.$. al Coda
D.S. al Coda means to repeat from the dal segno sign. Once you reach the coda sign, skip to the next coda sign, and play the coda section. D.C. al Coda and D.S. al Coda are also written D. C. al $ and D. S. al $.
D.C. al Coda
D.C. al Coda tells you to repeat the piece until you reach the coda sign ($) then skip to the next coda sign, and play the coda, a short ending section (literally "tail").
D.S. al Fine
D.S. al Fine means to go back to the dal segno sign and repeat until the point marked Fine.
D.C. al Fine
Fine (pronounced "feenay') is the Italian word for "end." D.C. al Fine tells you to go back to the beginning of the piece and repeat until you come to the marking Fine.
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