##Volume or Dynamics
(from soft to loud)
Pianissimo – pp – very soft
Piano – p – soft
Mezzo Piano – mp – medium soft
Mezzo forte – mf – medium loud
Forte – f – loud
Fortissimo – ff – very loud
##Volume Modifiers
Calando: diminuendo, usually within a rallentando
Crescendo: (Cres., ≤) gradual increase in volume
Diminuendo: (Decr., Dim., >) graudual decrease in volume, same as decrescendo
Morendo: fading away
Rinforzando, Sforzando: (rfz, sfz) sudden, sharp accent
##Tempo
(from slow to fast)
Grave: very slow, solemn
Largo: very slow, broad
Larghetto: somewhat faster than largo
Lento: slow
Adagio: slow, easy
Adagietto: somewhat faster than adagio
Andante: moderate, “walking” tempo
Andantino: a little faster than andante (warning: sometimes means a little slower than andante)
Moderato: between andante and allegro
Allegretto: between allegro and andante
Allegro: fast
Presto: very fast
Prestissimo: as fast as possible
##Tempo Modifiers A Tempo: return to regular tempo after a ritard or accelerando
Accellerando: becoming faster
Allargando: slowing down and becoming broader
Assai: very much
Con Moto: with motion
Doppio Movimento: twice as fast
L’Istesso: the same
Meno: less
Molto: very
Mosso: moved, agitated
Non Troppo: not too much
Piu: more
Rallentando: slowing down
Ritardando same as rallentando
Ritenuto: suddenly slower
Rubato: flexible, irregular tempo
Sostenuto: sustained
Stringendo: quickening, with growing excitement
Tempo Primo: resume the original or first tempo
Vivace: lively
Vivacissimo: very quick
##Expressive Markings Affetuoso: tender
Agitato: excited
A Piacere: at performer’s discretion
Arioso: in a singing style
Calmato: quieted
Cantabile: singing
Comodo: – easy, comfortable
Con Brio: with vigor
Con Calore: with warmth
Con Fuoco: with fire
Dolce: sweet
Expressivo: expressive
Giocoso: merry
Giusto: just, right
Grazioso: graceful
Gusto: with zest
Legato: smooth
Leggiero: light
Maestoso: majestic
Marcato: stressed
Mesto: sad
Mezzo: medium
Pesante: emphatic, heavy
Scherzando: humorous
Semplice: simple
Sempre: always
Staccato: detached
Strepitoso: noisy
Tenuto: held
##Bowings Am Steg: near the bridge
Arco: with the bow
Chevalet: bridge
Col Legno: with the wood of the bow
Detaché: single bowing with slight articulation of each note
Jeté Ricochet: “throwing” the upper part of the bow on the string so it will bounce a series of rapid notes down the bow
Louré: slow, with slight separation
Martele, Martellato: “hammered” bowing with forceful, sudden release
Pizzicato: (pizz.) plucked
Portato: a manner of performance halfway between legato and staccato
Saltando, Sautillé: light, bouncing strokes
Spiccato: similar to saltando
Staccato: short, detached strokes
Sul Ponticello: very close to the bridge
Sul Tastièra, Sul Tasto: very near or over the fingerboard
Talon: at the frog
Tasto: fingerboard
Touche: fingerboard
Tremolo: short, extremely rapid strokes (on one note)
##Violoncello Parts
Bass bar: wooden bar affixed to the inside of the top of the instrument. Increases vibration and tone.
C-bout: the waist of the cello, where the body curves in on both sides.
End pin: Cellos rest on a retractable, adjustable pin, which is mounted in the bottom of the cello’s body. Also known as the spike.
Fine tuners: Small adjusters located in the tail piece, allows steel stings to be properly adjusted. Also known as adjusters, string tuners, or string adjusters.
Fingerboard: When you play, you press, stop, the strings against this piece of wood. Fingerboards are typically made of ebony.
##Common Terms
Al Fine: to the end
Alta: higher (8va alta – play one octave higher)
Ancora: again, repeat
Attacca: go to next movement without a break
Bassa: lower (8va bassa – play one octave lower)
Cadenza: extended section for soloist in free, improvisatory style
Coda: closing section of a composition
Come Prima: as at first
Con: with (con brio) – with spirit)
Da Capo: (D.C.) from the beginning
Dal Segno: from the sign ( 𝄋 )
Divisi: divided
Fine: end
Glissando: slide from one pitch to the next
GP: general pause
Ossia: alternate passage, usually easier
Ottava Alta: see alta
Poco: a little (poco a poco - little by little)
Senza: without (senza sordino - without mute)
Simile: continue in the same way
Sordino: mute
Subito: suddenly
Sul: on (sul G - on the G string)
Tacet: is silent
Tutti: all
##Miscellaneous
Hooked Bowing: Two or more different detached notes played in one bow stroke, hooked together by a single bow motion.
Major scale: Made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth, which is one octave separated from the starting note.
Solfège: The term for the do-re-mi words used to indicate intervals in music. The chromatic scale uses do, re, me, fa, so, la, and ti. The remaining five notes of the chromatic scale are represented by di, ri, fi, si, and li for the sharps, and te, le, se, me, and ra for the flats.
Slur: Two or more notes connected by a single uninterrupted bow motion.