Musical Terms

Classical music often uses Italian terms to describe the mood or tempo of a movement in an orchestral work.

Commonly used terms are:

Adagio - slow

Adagissimo - very slow

Afettuoso - affectionate, with tender emotion

Agitato - agitated, restless and wild

Allegretto - moderately quick movement, somewhat slower than allegro

Allegro - lively (sometimes used with other qualifiers)

Andante - a moderate tempo (walking pace)

Assai - very (as in "allegro assai" = very lively)

Brio - brilliant; usually "con brio" = with vivacity, energy, fire

Cantabile - singable

Forte - loud

Fortissimo - very loud

Grazioso - graceful

Largetto - slow and broad but less so than largo

Largo - slow and broad

Lento - same as "largo"

Maestoso - majestic

Molto - very, much

Non troppo - not too much (as in "allegro non troppo" = lively but not too lively)

Ostinato - a short recurring theme or phase lasting the length of a composition or movement.

Piano - soft, abbreviated

Pianissimo - very soft and abbreviated

poco - little

Presto - originally lively, but later the fastest speed in normal use

Sostenuto - sustained

Prestissimo - the fastest speed possible

Vivace - lively