A variety of musical terms are encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by Fr. and Ger., respectively.
Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. The list can never be complete: some terms are common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from time to time. Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms listed here.
usually for orchestral string instruments, used to indicate that the player should play the passage on the second highest string
II
cymbal stop on pipe organ
III
usually for orchestral string instruments, used to indicate that the player should play the passage on the third-highest string
4′
four feet – pipe organ rank that speaks one octave higher than 8′
IV
usually for orchestral string instruments, used to indicate that the player should play the passage on the lowest-pitched, thickest string, i.e. the fourth-highest string
Return to normal tempo after a deviation. Not recommended in string parts, due to possible confusion with battuto (qv.); use a tempo, which means the same thing
intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; two instruments are to play in unison after a solo passage for one of the instruments
a niente
To nothing; indicating a diminuendo which fades completely away
a piacere
At pleasure (i.e. the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly, for example in a cadenza)
a prima vista
lit. "at first sight". Sight-reading (i.e. played or sung from written notation but without prior review of the written material; refer to the figure)
a tempo
In time (i.e. the performer should return to the stable tempo, such as after an accelerandoorritardando); also may be found in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) or a tempo di menuetto (at the speed of a minuet)
A jazz term which instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist to perform a dominant (V7) chord with at least one (often both) altered (sharpened or flattened) 5th or 9th
A liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical piece, similar to a refrain.[2]
antiphonal
A style of composition in which two sections of singers or instrumentalists exchange sections or music one after the other; typically the performers are on different sides of a hall or venue
The bow used for playing some string instruments (i.e. played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato, in music for bowed instruments); normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction
played like a harp (i.e. the notes of the chords are to be played quickly one after another instead of simultaneously); in music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chord whose notes cannot be played otherwise; arpeggios are frequently used as an accompaniment; see also broken chord
articulato
Articulate
assai
Much, Very much
assez (Fr.)
Enough, sufficiently
attacca
Attack or attach; go straight on (i.e. at the end of a movement, a direction to attach the next movement to the previous one, without a gap or pause). Often used as "attacca subito," meaning a "sudden" movement transition (literally, "attack suddenly").
German for B flat (also in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish, Croatian, Estonian and Hungarian); H in German is B natural
ballabile
(from the Italian Ballabile meaning "danceable") In ballet the term refers to a dance performed by the corps de ballet. The term Grand ballabile is used if nearly all participants (including principal characters) of a particular scene in a full-length work perform a large-scale dance.
A term that instructs string performers to play a pizzicato note to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that it snaps back percussively on the fingerboard.
The lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought of as defining and supporting the harmony; in an orchestral context, the term usually refers to the double bass.
Continuous bass, i.e. a bass accompaniment part played continuously throughout a piece by a chordal instrument (pipe organ, harpischord, lute, etc.), often with a bass instrument, to give harmonic structure; used especially in the Baroque period
battement (Fr.)
Used in the 17th century to refer to ornaments consisting of two adjacent notes, such as trillsormordents
Warlike, aggressive (English cognate is "bellicose")
benorbene
Well; in ben marcato ("well marked") for example
bend
Jazz term referring either to establishing a pitch, sliding down half a step and returning to the original pitch or sliding up half a step from the original note.
beschleunigt (Ger.)
Accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, at an accelerated tempo
Boldness; as in con bravura, boldly, flaunting technical skill
breit (Ger.)
Broad
bridge
Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, or between two A sections (e.g., in an A/B/A form).
Part of a violin family or guitar/lute stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument.
brillante
Brilliantly, with sparkle. Play in a showy and spirited style.
brioorbrioso
Vigour; usually in con brio: with spirit or vigour
broken chord
Achord in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less consistent sequence. They may follow singly one after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. See also arpeggio, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass.
An ornamental tone following a principal tone by a skip up or down, usually of a third, and proceeding in the opposite direction by a step, not to be confused with changing tone.
In a singing style. In instrumental music, a style of playing that imitates the way the human voice might express the music, with a measured tempo and flexible legato.
a vocal melody or instrumental passage in a smooth, lyrical style
canto
Chorus; choral; chant
cantus mensuratus or cantus figuratus (Lat.)
Meaning respectively "measured song" or "figured song". Originally used by medieval music theorists, it refers to polyphonic song with exactly measured notes and is used in contrast to cantus planus. A later term for cantus mensuratus or cantus figuratus is cantus musicus ("musical song").[3][4]
capo
1. capo (short for capotasto: "nut") : A key-changing device for stringed instruments (e.g. guitars and banjos)
"A humorous, fanciful, or bizarre, composition, often characterized by an idiosyncratic departure from current stylistic norms."[5]See also: Capriccio (disambiguation)
capriccioso
Capricious, unpredictable, volatile
cassa
Drum, usually an orchestral bass drum. Sometimes written as Gran Cassa where Gran specifically means Bass
with the wood: for bowed strings, strike the strings with the stick of the bow (col legno battuto) or draw the stick across the strings (col legno tratto)
col pugno
With the fist (e.g., bang the piano with the fist)
With the addition of the octave note above or below the written note; abbreviated as col 8, coll' 8, and c. 8va
colla parte
literally "with the part". An indication that another (written-out) part should be followed, i.e. accommodate the tempo, expression, phrasing, and possible rubato of the leading part. In vocal music, also expressed by colla voce
colla voce
literally "with the voice". An instruction, in a choral or orchestral part, that a vocal part should be followed, e.g., play the same notes as the vocal part and accommodate the tempo, expression, etc. of the vocalist
The time signature4 4: four beats per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. 4 4 is often written on the musical staffas. The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken circle; the full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3 4.
comodo
Comfortable (i.e. at moderate speed); also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc.
comp
1. abbreviation of accompanying, accompanying music, accompaniment
2. describes the chords, rhythms, and countermelodies that instrumental players used to support a musician's melody and improvised solos.
(plural of coperto) covered (i.e. on a drum, muted with a cloth)
corda
String. On the piano it refers to use of the soft pedal which controls whether the hammer strikes one or three strings; see una corda, tre corde below.
Brassy. Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to indicate a forced, rough tone. A note marked both stopped and loud will be cuivré automatically[2]
custos
Symbol at the very end of a staff of music which indicates the pitch for the first note of the next line as a warning of what is to come. The custos was commonly used in handwritten Renaissance and typeset Baroque music.
Same as the meter2 2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. Notated and executed like common time (4 4), except with the beat lengths doubled. Indicated by . This comes from a literal cut of the symbol of common time. Thus, a quarter note in cut time is only half a beat long, and a measure has only two beats. See also alla breve.
Repeat to the sign and continue to the coda sign, then play coda
dal segno al fine (D.S. al fine)
From the sign to the end (i.e. return to a place in the music designated by the sign and continue to the end of the piece)
dal segno segno alla coda (D.S.S. alla coda)
Same as D.S. alla coda, but with a double segno
dal segno segno al fine (D.S.S. al fine)
From the double sign to the end (i.e. return to place in the music designated by the double sign (see D.S. alla coda) and continue to the end of the piece)
decelerando
Slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando (same as ritardandoorrallentando)
deciso
Firm
declamando
Solemn, expressive, impassioned
decrescendo (decresc.)
Gradually decreasing volume (same as diminuendo)
deest
From the Latindeesse meaning to be missing; placed after a catalogue abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in it;[6] the plural, desunt, is used when referring to several works
Divided (i.e. in a part in which several musicians normally play exactly the same notes they are instead to split the playing of the written simultaneous notes among themselves); it is most often used for string instruments, since with them another means of execution is often possible (the return from divisi is marked unisono)
doit
Jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically upwards
dolce
Sweet; con dolcezza: with sweetness, sweetly
dolcemente
Sweetly
dolcissimo
Very sweet
dolente
Sorrowful, plaintive
dolore
Pain, distress, sorrow, grief; con dolore: with sadness
doloroso
Sorrowful, plaintive
doppio movimento
lit. Double movement, i.e. the note values are halved
The Italian word for "echo"; an effect in which a group of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different octave, to create an echo effect
égal (Fr.)
Equal
eilend (Ger.)
Hurrying
ein wenig (Ger.)
A little
einfach (Ger.)
Simple
emporté (Fr.)
Fiery, impetuous
en animant (Fr.)
Becoming very lively
en cédant (Fr.)
Yielding
en dehors (Fr.)
Prominently, a directive to make the melody stand out
Stop (i.e. a rest or note to be held for a duration that is at the discretion of the performer or conductor) (sometimes called pauseorbird's eye); a fermata at the end of a first or intermediate movement or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a symphony may be prolonged for much longer than the note's value, often twice its printed length or more for dramatic effect
A jazz or rock term which instructs performers to improvise a scalar passage or riff to "fill in" the brief time between lyrical phrases, the lines of melody, or between two sections
fine
The end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end)
the florid embellishment of melodic lines, either notated by a composer or improvised during a performance.
flat
A symbol (♭) that lowers the pitch of a note by a semitone. The term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitone too low.
flautando
Flutelike mode; used especially for string instruments to indicate a light, rapid bowing over the fingerboard
Literally "flight"; hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music; a short theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in others, with imitation and characteristic development as the piece progresses
funebre
Funeral; often seen as marcia funebre (funeral march), indicating a stately and plodding tempo
Grand Pause, General Pause; indicates to the performers that the entire ensemble has a rest of indeterminate length, often as a dramatic effect during a loud section
A continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale executed while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). See glissando for further information; and compare portamento.
The imposition of a pattern of rhythmorarticulation other than that implied by the time signature; specifically, in triple time (for example in 3 4) the imposition of a duple pattern (as if the time signature were, for example, 2 4). See Syncopation.
A musical texture with one voice (or melody line) accompanied by subordinate chords; also used as an adjective (homophonic). Compare with polyphony, in which several independent voices or melody lines are performed at the same time.
A term for brass players that requires them to direct the bell of their instrument into the music stand, instead of up and toward the audience, thus muting the sound but without changing the timbre as a mute would[9]
incalzando
Getting faster and louder
innig (Ger.)
Intimate, heartfelt
insistendo
Insistently, deliberately
intimo
Intimate
intro
Opening section of a piece
irato
Angry
-issimamente
The adverbial form of the superlative suffix (most -ly, e.g. leggerissimamente, meaning as light as can be)
-issimo
A suffix for superlative (e.g. fortissimo or prestissimo)
A musician who plays any instrument with a keyboard. In Classical music, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, pipe organ, harpsichord, and so on. In a jazz or popular music context, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, electric piano, synthesizer, Hammond organ, and so on.
"Let ring", meaning allow the sound to continue, do not damp; used frequently in harp or guitar music, occasionally in piano or percussion. Abbreviated "lasc. suon."
Amelodic interval greater than a major 2nd, as opposed to a step. Melodies which move by a leap are called "disjunct". Octave leaps are not uncommon in florid vocal music.
Joined (i.e. smoothly, in a connected manner) (see also articulation)
leggiadro
Pretty, graceful
leggierissimo
Very light and delicate
leggiero or leggiermente
Light or lightly (the different forms of this word, including leggierezza, "lightness", are spelled without the i in modern Italian, i.e. leggero, leggerissimo, leggermente, leggerezza.)
leidenschaftlich(er) (Ger.)
(More) passionately
lent (Fr.)
Slow
lentando
Gradual slowing and softer
lentissimo
Very slow
lento
Slow
liberamente
Freely
libero
Free
lilt
A jaunty rhythm
l'istesso, l'istesso tempo, or lo stesso tempo
The same tempo, despite changes of time signature, see metric modulation
lo stesso
The same; applied to the manner of articulation, tempo, etc.
loco
[in] place, i.e. perform the notes at the pitch written, generally used to cancel an 8vaor8vb direction; in string music, also used to indicate return to normal playing position (see Playing the violin)[2]
Also "bar": the period of a musical piece that encompasses a complete cycle of the time signature (e.g. in 4 4 time, a measure has four quarter notebeats)
medesimo tempo
Same tempo, despite changes of time signature
medley
Piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping.
A female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that of a soprano and that of a contralto.
Rapid single alternation of a note with the note immediately below or above it in the scale, sometimes further distinguished as lower mordent and upper mordent.
morendo
Dying (i.e. dying away in dynamics, and perhaps also in tempo)
mosso
Moved, moving; used with a preceding più or meno, for faster or slower respectively
moto
Motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning with motion or quickly
A dance or tune of a drone-bass character, originally played by a musette
muta [in...]
Change [to...]: an instruction either to change instrument (e.g. flute to piccolo, horn in F to horn in B♭) or to change tuning (e.g. guitar muta 6 in D). Note: muta comes from the Italian verb mutare (to change); therefore it does not mean "mute", for which con sordinaorcon sordino is used.[2]
Interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. Twelve semitones equal an octave, so do the first and the eighth (hence "oct"ave) note in a major or minor scale.
The practice of using solo voices on each musical line or part in choral music.
ordinario (ord.) (Ital.) or position ordinaire (Fr.)
In bowed string music, an indication to discontinue extended techniques such as sul ponticello, sul tastoorcol legno, and return to normal playing. The same as "naturale".
In jazz or rock, a group of three musicians which includes a Hammond organ player and two other instruments, often an electric guitar player and a drummer.
In piano scores, this instructs the player to press the damper pedal to sustain the note or chord being played. The player may be instructed to release the pedal with an asterisk marking (*). In organ scores, it tells the organist that a section is to be performed on the bass pedalboard with the feet.
pensieroso
Thoughtfully, meditatively
perdendosi
Dying away; decrease in dynamics, perhaps also in tempo
pesante
Heavy, ponderous
peu à peu (Fr.)
Little by little
pezzo
A composition
piacevole
Pleasant, agreeable
piangendo
Literally 'crying' (used in Liszt's La Lugubre Gondola no. 2).
piangevole
Plaintive
pianissimo (pp)
very gently (i.e. perform very softly, even softer than piano). This convention can be extended; the more ps that are written, the softer the composer wants the musician to play or sing, thus ppp (pianissimissimo) would be softer than pp. Dynamics in a piece should be interpreted relative to the other dynamics in the same piece. For example, pp should be executed very softly, but if ppp is found later in the piece, pp should be markedly louder than ppp. More than three ps (ppp) or three fs (fff) are uncommon.
piano (p)
Gently (i.e. played or sung softly) (see dynamics)
A Picardy third, Picardy cadence (ˈpɪkərdi ) or, in French, tierce picarde is a harmonic device used in Western classical music. It refers to the use of a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key.
piatti
Cymbals, generally meaning a pair of orchestral clashed cymbals
piena
Full, as, for example, a voce piena = "in full voice"
Pinched, plucked (i.e. in music for bowed strings, plucked with the fingers as opposed to played with the bow; compare arco, which is inserted to cancel a pizzicato instruction; in music for guitar, to mute the strings by resting the palm on the bridge, simulating the sound of pizz. of the bowed string instruments)
plop
Jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically downwards.
pochettino or poch.
Very little; diminutive of poco
pochissimo or pochiss.
Very little; superlative of poco
poco
A little, as in poco più allegro (a little faster)
poco rall
a gradual decrease in speed
poco a poco
Little by little
poetico
Poetic discourse
poi
Then, indicating a subsequent instruction in a sequence; diminuendo poi subito fortissimo, for example: getting softer then suddenly very loud
pomposo
Pompous, ceremonious
ponticelloorsul ponticello (pont.)
On the bridge (i.e. in string playing, an indication to bow or to pluck very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic glassy sound, which emphasizes the higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental); the opposite of sul tasto
portamento
Carrying (i.e. 1. generally, sliding in pitch from one note to another, usually pausing just above or below the final pitch, then sliding quickly to that pitch. If no pause is executed, then it is a basic glissando; or 2. in piano music, an articulation between legato and staccato, like portato)
A musical introduction to subsequent movements during the Baroque era (1600s/17th century). It can also be a movement in its own right, which was more common in the Romantic era (mid-1700s/18th century)
Half of a semitone; a pitch division not used in most Western music notation, except in some contemporary art music or experimental music. Quarter tones are used in Western popular music forms such as jazz and blues and in a variety of non-Western musical cultures.
quasi (Latin and Italian)
Almost (e.g. quasi recitativo almost a recitative in an opera, or quasi una fantasia almost a fantasia)
Reinforcing (i.e. emphasizing); sometimes like a sudden crescendo, but often applied to a single note
risoluto
Resolute
rit.
An abbreviation for ritardando;[12] also an abbreviation for ritenuto[13]
ritardando, ritard., rit.
Slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando
ritenuto, riten., rit.
Suddenly slower, held back (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, apply to a single note); opposite of accelerato
ritmico
Rhythmical
ritmo
Rhythm (e.g. ritmo di # battute meaning a rhythm of # measures)
Stolen, robbed (i.e. flexible in tempo), applied to notes within a musical phrase for expressive effect
ruhig (Ger.)
Calm, peaceful
run
A rapid series of ascending or descending musical notes which are closely spaced in pitch forming a scale, arpeggio, or other such pattern. See: Fill (music) and Melisma.
A light, "joking" or playful musical form, originally and usually in fast triple metre, often replacing the minuet in the later Classical period and the Romantic period, in symphonies, sonatas, string quartets and the like; in the 19th century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc.
schleppend, schleppen (Ger.)
In a dragging manner, to drag; usually nicht schleppen ("don't drag"), paired with nicht eilen ("don't hurry") in Gustav Mahler's scores
Dry (sparse accompaniment, staccato, without resonance); with basso continuo accompaniment, this often means that only the chordal instrument will play, with the sustained bass instrument not playing
segno
sign, usually Dal segno (see above) "from the sign", indicating a return to the point marked by
The smallest pitch difference between notes (in most Western music) (e.g. F–F♯) (Note: some contemporary music, non-Western music, and blues and jazz uses microtonal divisions smaller than a semitone)
A symbol (♯) that raises the pitch of the note by a semitone; the term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is somewhat too high in pitch
A symbol in Western musical notation (generally a curved line placed over the notes) indicating that the notes it embraces are to be played without separation (that is, with legato articulation)
smorzando (smorz.)
Extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreted as a drop in dynamics, and very often in tempo as well
Alone (i.e. executed by a single instrument or voice). The instruction soli requires more than one player or singer; in a jazzbig band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony. In orchestral works, soli refers to a divided string section with only one player to a line.
solo break
A jazz term that instructs a lead player or rhythm section member to play an improvised solo cadenza for one or two measures (sometimes abbreviated as "break"), without any accompaniment. The solo part is often played in a rhythmically free manner, until the player performs a pickup or lead-in line, at which time the band recommences playing in the original tempo.
sommo (masc.), somma (fem.)
Highest, maximum; con somma passione: with the greatest passion
Amute, Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms sordino and sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. Instruments can have their tone muted with wood, rubber, metal, or plastic devices, (for string instruments, mutes are clipped to the bridge; for brass instruments, mutes are inserted in the bell), or parts of the body (guitar; French Horn), or fabric (clarinet; timpani), among other means. In piano music (notably in Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata), senza sordini or senza sordina (or some variant) is sometimes used to mean keep the sustain pedal depressed, since the sustain pedal lifts the dampers off the strings, with the effect that all notes are sustained indefinitely.
Distinct, separated (i.e. a way of playing the violin and other bowed instruments by bouncing the bow on the string, giving a characteristic staccato effect)
Making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. In musical notation, a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates that it is to be articulated as staccato.
Labored, heavy, in a dragging manner, holding back each note
stornello
Originally truly 'improvised' now taken as 'appearing to be improvised,' an Italian 'folk' song, the style of which used for example by Puccini in certain of his operas
strascinando or strascicante
Indicating a passage should be played in a heavily slurred manner; in some contexts it indicates a rhythmic motion resembling shuffling
Tight, narrow (i.e. faster or hastening ahead); also, a passage in a fugue in which the contrapuntal texture is denser, with close overlapping entries of the subject in different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative passages in other compositions
stringendo
Gradually getting faster (literally, tightening, narrowing) (i.e. with a pressing forward or acceleration of the tempo, that is, becoming stretto)
strisciando
To be played with a smooth slur, a glissando
suave (Sp.)
Soft
subito
Immediately (e.g. subito pp, which instructs the player to suddenly drop to pianissimo as an effect); often abbreviated as sub.
sul
Lit. "on the", as in sul ponticello (on the bridge); sul tasto (on the fingerboard); sul E (on the E string), etc.
sul E
"on the E", indicating a passage is to be played on the E string of a violin. Also seen: sul A, sul D, sul G, sul C, indicating a passage to be played on one of the other strings of a string instrument.
suono reale
Actual sound; primarily used with notated harmonics where the written pitch is also the sounding pitch
On the fingerboard (i.e. in string playing, an indication to bow or to pluck over the fingerboard); playing over the fingerboard produces a duller, less harmonically rich, gentler tone. The opposite of sul ponticello.
'single key'; used on a basso continuo part to indicate that only the written notes should be played, without RH chords as normally played by the harpsichordist/organist
The middle section of a double aria, commonly found in bel canto era Italian operas, especially those of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and their contemporaries as well in many early operas by Verdi. When present, the tempo di mezzo generally signals a shift in the drama from the slow cantabile of the first part to the cabaletta of the second, and this can take the form of some dramatic announcement or action to which the character(s) react in the cabaletta finale.[16]
tempo di valzer
Waltz tempo
tempo giusto
In strict time
tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo I (sometimes tempo I° or tempo 1ero)
The quality of a musical tone that distinguishes one tone from another
time
In a jazz or rock score, after a rubato or rallentendo section, the term "time" indicates that performers should return to tempo (this is equivalent to the term "a tempo")
tosto
Immediately
tranquillo
Calm, peaceful
trattenuto (tratt.)
Held back with a sustained tone, similar to ritardando
Shaking. As used in 1) and 2) below, it is notated by a strong diagonal bar (or bars) across the note stem, or a detached bar (or bars) for a set of notes.
A rapid, measured or unmeasured repetition of the same note. String players perform this tremolo with the bow by rapidly moving the bow while the arm is tense;
A rapid, measured or unmeasured alternation between two or more notes, usually more than a whole step apart. In older theory texts this form is sometimes referred to as a "trill-tremolo" (see trill).
A rapid, repeated alteration of volume (as on an electronic instrument);
vibrato: an inaccurate usage, since vibrato is actually a slight undulation in a sustained pitch, rather than a repetition of the pitch, or variation in volume (see vibrato).
A rapid, usually unmeasured alternation between two harmonically adjacent notes (e.g. an interval of a semitone or a whole tone). A similar alternation using a wider interval is called a tremolo.
triplet (shown with a horizontal bracket and a '3')
Three notes in the place of two, used to subdivide a beat.
triste
Sad, wistful
tronco, tronca
Broken off, truncated
troppo
Too much; usually seen as non troppo, meaning moderately or, when combined with other terms, not too much, such as allegro [ma] non troppo (fast but not too fast)
All; all together, usually used in an orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or all of the voices come in at the same time, also seen in Baroque-era music where two instruments share the same copy of music, after one instrument has broken off to play a more advanced form: they both play together again at the point marked tutti. See also ripieno.
One or "a" (indefinite article), as exemplified in the following entries
un poco or un peu (Fr.)
A little
una corda
One string (i.e., in piano music, depressing the soft pedal, which alters and reduces the volume of the sound). For most notes in modern pianos, this results in the hammer striking two strings rather than three. Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings), is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released.
In unison (i.e., several players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among themselves); often used to mark the return from divisi
uptempo
A fast, lively, or increased tempo, or played or done in such a tempo;[17] it is also used as an umbrella term for a quick-paced electronic music style
ut (Fr.)
First note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-dosolmization
Lit. "wandering":[18] the fifth part in a motet, named so most probably because it had no specific range
vamp
Improvised accompaniment, usually a repeating pattern played before next musical passage. See vamp till cue. See comp and comping (jazz).
vamp till cue
A jazz, fusion, and musical theatre term which instructs rhythm section members to repeat and vary a short ostinato passage, riff, or "groove" until the band leader or conductor instructs them to move onto the next section
variazioni
Variations, con variazioni: with variations/changes
veloce
Fast
velocità
Speed; con velocità: with speed
velocissimo
As fast as possible; usually applied to a cadenza-like passage or run
via
Away, out, off; as in via sordinaorsordina via: 'mute off'
Vibrating (i.e. a more or less rapidly repeated slight variation in the pitch of a note, used as a means of expression). Often confused with tremolo, which refers either to a similar variation in the volume of a note, or to rapid repetition of a single note.
Turn immediately (i.e. turn the page quickly). While this indication is sometimes added by printers, it is more commonly indicated by orchestral members in pencil as a reminder to quickly turn to the next page.
^Sussman, Richard; Abene, Mike (2012). "Muted Brass". Jazz Composition and Arranging in the Digital Age. Oxford University Press. p. 156. ISBN978-0-19-538099-6.
^Cole, Richard; Schwartz, Ed. "M.M."Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013.
. The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken circle; the full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3
. This comes from a literal cut of the 
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