Italian term | Literal translation | Definition |
Musical forms | ||
---|---|---|
A cappella | in chapel style | Sung with no accompaniment |
Aria | air | A song, esp. one from an opera |
Arietta[?] | little air | A short or light aria |
Ballabile[?] | danceable | To be danced to |
Battaglia[?] | battle | A piece suggesting a battle |
Bergamasca[?] | from Bergamo | A peasant dance from Bergamo |
Burletta[?] | a little joke | A light comic or farcical opera |
Cadenza | falling | A florid solo at the end of a performance |
Capriccio[?] | caprice | A lively piece of music |
Coda | tail | The end of a piece |
Concerto | concert | A work for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra |
Concertino[?] | little concert | A short concerto; the solo instrument in a concerto. |
Concerto grosso | big concert | A Baroque form of concerto |
Opera | work | A drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists |
Opera buffa | humorous opera | A comic opera |
Opera seria[?] | serious opera | An opera with a serious, esp. classical theme |
Sonata | sounded | A composition for one or two instruments in sonata form |
Intermezzo[?] | interval | A short connecting instrumental movement |
Musical instruments | ||
Piano(forte) | soft-loud | A keyboard instrument |
Viola | viola, orig. Latin vitulari "be joyful" | A medium-sized stringed instrument |
(Violon)cello | Small violone (violone means "big viola") | A large stringed instrument |
Viola da gamba | leg viola | A stringed instrument held between the legs |
Viola da braccio[?] | arm viola | A stringed instrument held in the arm, such as a violin or viola |
Viola d'amore | love viola | A tenor viol with no frets |
Tuba | tube | A large brass instrument |
Piccolo | little | A tiny woodwind instrument |
Timpani | drums | A large drum |
Cornetto | little horn | An old woodwind instrument |
Campana[?] | bell | A bell used in an orchestra; also campane "bells" |
Orchestra | orchestra, orig. Greek orkesthai "dance" | An ensemble of instruments |
Voices | ||
Soprano | upper | The highest vocal line |
Alto | high | Second-highest vocal line |
Contralto | against high | Alto, esp. a female alto |
Basso | low | Or "bass;" the lowest vocal line |
Basso profundo[?] | deep and low | A very deep bass voice |
Castrato | castrated | A male singer, castrated so as to be able to sing soprano (now sung by women) |
Dynamics - tempo | ||
Tempo | time | The speed of a piece of music |
Largo | broad | Slow and dignified |
Larghetto | a little bit broad | Not as slow as largo |
Lento[?] | slow | Slow |
Adagio | ad agio, at ease | Slow, but not as slow as largo |
Adagietto[?] | little adagio | Faster than adagio; or a short adagio composition |
Andante | walking | Moderately slow, flowing along |
Comodo[?] | comfortable | At moderate speed |
Allegro | joyful | Moderately fast |
Allegretto | a little bit joyful | Faster than allegro |
Presto | ready | Very fast |
Prestissimo | very ready | Very very fast |
ma non troppo[?] | but not too much | But not too much (allegro ma non troppo) |
Accelerando | accelerating | accelerating |
Affrettando[?] | becoming hurried | accelerating |
Accompagnato[?] | accompanied | The accompaniment must follow the singer who can speed up or slow down at will |
Dynamics - volume | ||
Calendo[?] | quietening | Becoming softer |
Crescendo | growing | Becoming louder |
Decrescendo[?] | shrinking | Becoming softer |
Diminuendo | dwindling | Becoming softer |
Forte | strong | Loud |
Fortissimo | very strong | Very loud |
Mezzo forte[?] | half-strong | Moderately loud |
Piano | gentle | Soft |
Pianissimo | very gentle | Very soft |
Mezzo piano[?] | half-gentle | Moderately soft |
Moods | ||
Affettuoso[?] | with feeling | Tenderly |
Con brio[?] | with spirit | With spirit |
Cantabile[?] | singable | In a fashion suggesting singing |
Vivace[?] | lively | Lively |
Agitato[?] | agitated | Excited and fast |
Animato[?] | animated | Animated |
Bruscamente[?] | brusquely | Brusquely |
Con amore[?] | with love | with love |
Directions | ||
Attacca[?] | attack | Proceed to the next section without pause |
Cambiare[?] | change | Any change, such as to a new instrument |
Techniques | ||
Coloratura[?] | coloration | Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line |
Altissimo[?] | very high | Very high |
Arpeggio | harp-like | A chord with the notes spread out in time |
Acciaccatura | crushing | An extra, very fast grace note |
Appogiatura[?] | leaning | A type of ornament |
Bocca chiusa[?] | mouth closed | Wordless humming in a choral piece |
Chiuso[?] | closed | Calls for a horn to be muted by hand |
Col legno | with the wood | Calls for a bowed instrument to be struck with the wood rather than the hair of the bow |
Basso continuo | continuous bass | Continuous bass accompaniment |
Coperti[?] | covered | Of a drum, muted with a cloth |
Una corda[?] | one string | With the soft pedal, on a piano |
Tre corde[?] or tutte le corde[?] | Three strings or all the strings | Cancels an una corda |
Roles | ||
Prima donna[?] | first lady | Leading female role |
Comprimario[?]/a | con primario, with the first | A supporting role |
Criticism | ||
Bel canto | beautiful voice | Any fine singing, esp. that popular in 18th and 19th c. Italian opera |
Bravura[?] | skill | A performance of extraordinary virtuosity |
Bravo! | skillful | a cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer. Fem. brava, pl. bravi, fem.pl. brave |
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