What is the Italian word for slow in music?

Lento is the plain word for slow. The tempo markings get slower from Adagio (slow, leisurely) to Largo (very slow and broad) and Grave (very slow and solemn), the slowest of them at about 20 to 40 BPM.

What is the Italian word for fast in music?

Allegro means fast and lively, at about 120 to 168 BPM. Vivace is livelier still, Presto is very fast, and Prestissimo is as fast as possible. Allegretto sits a little below Allegro.

What are the Italian words for soft and loud in music?

Piano (p) means soft and forte (f) means loud. Pianissimo (pp) is very soft, fortissimo (ff) very loud, and mezzo, as in mezzo piano (mp) and mezzo forte (mf), means moderately. The piano's full name, pianoforte, comes from this pair, because it could play both.

Are tempo BPM values exact?

No, they are conventional ranges, not strict definitions. A piece marked Allegro can sit anywhere from about 120 to 168 BPM depending on style, conductor and edition.

What does "ma non troppo" mean?

But not too much. It softens the word before it, so Allegro ma non troppo is fast, but not too fast, and Adagio ma non troppo is slow without dragging.

What's the difference between ritardando, rallentando and ritenuto?

Ritardando and rallentando both slow down gradually, and many players treat them as the same. Ritenuto is different: it holds back at once, so the slower tempo starts on the marking rather than arriving over several bars.

What order do the dynamics go in?

From softest to loudest: ppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fff. Crescendo and diminuendo move between them gradually, while sforzando and fortepiano are sudden accents on a single note.

What's the difference between D.C. and D.S.?

Da capo sends you back to the very beginning, and dal segno sends you back to the segno sign. Al Fine means stop when you reach the word Fine; al Coda means that when you reach the coda sign, you jump to the coda.

Why are these terms in Italian?

Italian became the standard language of European music notation during the Baroque era. The first widely printed music came from Italian publishers, and the convention stuck.

Italian Musical Terms

The Italian words printed in sheet music, with what each one asks you to do: tempo markings with their BPM ranges, dynamics, expression, articulation, playing technique and repeats. Search one word, or type a whole marking like "Allegro ma non troppo" to read it word by word.

161 Italian music terms, by category

Search or decode a markingPress / to search

161 terms

Tempo

Grave: very slow and solemn; 20–40 BPM, Metronome at 30 BPM
Largo: very slow and broad; 40–60 BPM, Metronome at 50 BPMSee also: Larghetto, Largamente
Lento: slow; 45–60 BPM, Metronome at 53 BPM
Larghetto: fairly slow, a little quicker than largo; 60–66 BPM, Metronome at 63 BPMSee also: Largo, Largamente
Adagio: slow, leisurely; 66–76 BPM, Metronome at 71 BPMSee also: Adagietto
Adagietto: fairly slow, a little quicker than adagio; 70–80 BPM, Metronome at 75 BPMSee also: Adagio
Andante: walking pace; 76–108 BPM, Metronome at 92 BPMSee also: Andantino
Andantino: a little quicker than andante (some older scores meant a little slower); 80–108 BPM, Metronome at 94 BPMSee also: Andante
Moderato: moderate; 108–120 BPM, Metronome at 114 BPM
Allegretto: moderately fast, slightly slower than allegro; 112–120 BPM, Metronome at 116 BPMSee also: Allegro
Allegro: fast and lively; 120–168 BPM, Metronome at 144 BPMSee also: Allegretto
Vivace: lively, faster than allegro; 168–176 BPM, Metronome at 172 BPMSee also: Vivacissimo, Vivo
Vivacissimo: very lively, a little faster than vivace; 172–176 BPM, Metronome at 174 BPMSee also: Vivace, Vivo
Presto: very fast; 168–200 BPM, Metronome at 184 BPMSee also: Prestissimo
Prestissimo: as fast as possible; 200+ BPM, Metronome at 220 BPMSee also: Presto

Tempo changes

Faster

AccelerandoPrinted as: accel.: gradually speeding up; See also: Stringendo, Animando, Più mosso
StringendoPrinted as: string.: pressing forward, speeding up with rising tension; See also: Accelerando, Animando, Più mosso
Animando: becoming more animated, livelier and a little faster; See also: Accelerando, Stringendo, Più mosso
Più mosso: more movement, quicker than before; See also: Accelerando, Stringendo, Animando
Stretto: pressing ahead, faster towards the end of a section

Slower

RitardandoPrinted as: rit., ritard.: gradually slowing down; See also: Rallentando, Ritenuto, Allargando, Meno mosso
RallentandoPrinted as: rall.: gradually slowing down (broader than rit.); See also: Ritardando, Ritenuto, Allargando, Meno mosso
RitenutoPrinted as: riten.: held back, slower at once rather than gradually; See also: Ritardando, Rallentando, Allargando, Meno mosso
AllargandoPrinted as: allarg.: broadening, slowing down and usually getting louder; See also: Ritardando, Rallentando, Ritenuto, Meno mosso
Meno mosso: less movement, slower than before; See also: Ritardando, Rallentando, Ritenuto, Allargando

Back to tempo

A tempo: return to the original tempo; See also: Tempo primo, L'istesso tempo
Tempo primoPrinted as: Tempo I: return to the tempo of the opening; See also: A tempo, L'istesso tempo
L'istesso tempo: the same tempo, even though the metre or note value changes; See also: A tempo, Tempo primo
Tempo giusto: in strict, exact time
Comodo: at a comfortable, unhurried pace

Free

Rubato: freely with expressive timing; See also: Ad libitum, A piacere
Ad libitumPrinted as: ad lib.: at the player's discretion, freely in tempo or in what to play; See also: Rubato, A piacere
A piacere: at pleasure, the timing is left to the performer; See also: Rubato, Ad libitum

Dynamics

pianississimo: extremely soft
pianissimo: very soft
piano: soft
mezzo piano: moderately soft
mezzo forte: moderately loud
forte: loud
fortissimo: very loud
fortississimo: extremely loud
crescendoPrinted as: cresc.: gradually getting louder; See also: decrescendo, diminuendo
decrescendoPrinted as: decresc.: gradually getting softer (the same as diminuendo); See also: crescendo, diminuendo
diminuendoPrinted as: dim.: gradually getting softer; See also: crescendo, decrescendo
sforzando: strong, sudden accent; See also: fortepiano, rinforzando
fortepiano: loud, then immediately soft; See also: sforzando, rinforzando
rinforzando: reinforced, a sudden stress on a note or short phrase; See also: sforzando, fortepiano
calando: getting softer and slower; See also: morendo, smorzando, perdendosi, al niente
morendo: dying away, softer and slower; See also: smorzando, perdendosi, calando, al niente
smorzandoPrinted as: smorz.: fading out, dying away; See also: morendo, perdendosi, calando, al niente
perdendosi: losing itself, fading into nothing; See also: morendo, smorzando, calando, al niente
al niente: fade all the way to silence; See also: morendo, smorzando, perdendosi, calando

Expression

Affettuoso: tenderly, with warmth
Agitato: agitated, restless
Animato: animated, lively
Appassionato: passionately
Brillante: brilliantly, with sparkle
Calmo: calm
CantabilePrinted as: cant.: in a singing style
Capriccioso: capricious, free and whimsical
Con anima: with spirit, with feeling
Con brio: with vigour
Con fuoco: with fire
Con moto: with motion, moving along
Con spirito: with spirit, lively
Delicato: delicately
Dolce: sweetly
Dolente: sorrowfully
Energico: energetically
EspressivoPrinted as: espr., espress.: with expression
Giocoso: playfully, merrily
Grandioso: grandly
Grazioso: gracefully
Lamentoso: mournfully, like a lament
Largamente: broadly, with a full sound; See also: Largo, Larghetto
LeggieroPrinted as: legg.: lightly
Maestoso: majestically
Marziale: in a martial style, like a march
Mesto: sad, mournful
Mezza vocePrinted as: m.v.: at half voice, restrained; See also: Sotto voce
Misterioso: mysteriously
Nobilmente: nobly
Pesante: heavily, with weight
Ritmico: rhythmically, with a clear pulse
ScherzandoPrinted as: scherz.: playfully, jokingly
Semplice: simply, without affectation
SostenutoPrinted as: sost.: sustained, holding the notes to full value
Sotto voce: in an undertone, very quietly; See also: Mezza voce
Teneramente: tenderly
Tranquillo: calmly
Vivo: lively, brisk; See also: Vivace, Vivacissimo

Articulation & ornaments

Legato: smoothly connected; See also: Non legato, Staccato
Non legato: not connected, each note slightly separated; See also: Legato, Staccato
StaccatoPrinted as: stacc.: detached, short; See also: Legato, Non legato, Staccatissimo, Portato
Staccatissimo: very short and detached; See also: Staccato, Portato
Portato: gently separated, between legato and staccato; See also: Staccato, Staccatissimo
TenutoPrinted as: ten.: held to full value
Accento: accent, play the note louder than those around it; See also: Marcato, Martellato
MarcatoPrinted as: marc.: marked, accented; See also: Accento, Martellato
Martellato: hammered, strongly accented and detached; See also: Accento, Marcato
Fermata: hold for longer than written
GlissandoPrinted as: gliss.: slide continuously from one note to another; See also: Portamento
PortamentoPrinted as: port.: a slight slide between two notes, as a singer would; See also: Glissando
TremoloPrinted as: trem.: rapid repetition of a note
TrilloPrinted as: tr: trill, alternate two adjacent notes; See also: Mordente
Mordente: mordent, a quick flick to the neighbouring note and back; See also: Trillo
Acciaccatura: crushed note, a grace note played as fast as possible; See also: Appoggiatura
Appoggiatura: leaning note, a grace note that takes time from the main note; See also: Acciaccatura
Arpeggio: spread the chord, playing its notes one after another

Technique

PizzicatoPrinted as: pizz.: plucked (strings); See also: Arco, Col legno
Arco: with the bow (strings); See also: Pizzicato, Col legno
Col legno: with the wood of the bow (strings); See also: Pizzicato, Arco
Sul ponticelloPrinted as: sul pont.: bow near the bridge, a glassy sound (strings); See also: Sul tasto
Sul tasto: bow over the fingerboard, a soft, veiled sound (strings); See also: Sul ponticello
Spiccato: bouncing the bow off the string (strings)
Con sordinoPrinted as: con sord.: with the mute; See also: Senza sordino
Senza sordinoPrinted as: senza sord.: without the mute; See also: Con sordino
DivisiPrinted as: div.: divided, a section splits to play separate parts; See also: Unisono, A due
UnisonoPrinted as: unis.: in unison, the divided section plays one part again; See also: Divisi, A due
Tutti: everyone plays; See also: Solo
Solo: one player alone; See also: Tutti
A duePrinted as: a 2: both players on the part play the same notes; See also: Divisi, Unisono
Una cordaPrinted as: u.c.: soft pedal down (piano); See also: Tre corde
Tre cordePrinted as: t.c.: soft pedal up (piano); See also: Una corda
Mano destraPrinted as: m.d.: right hand; See also: Mano sinistra
Mano sinistraPrinted as: m.s.: left hand; See also: Mano destra
OttavaPrinted as: 8va, 8vb: play an octave higher (8va) or lower (8vb) than written; See also: Loco
Loco: back to the written pitch after an ottava; See also: Ottava

Modifiers

molto: very, much; See also: assai
assai: very; See also: molto
poco: a little; See also: poco a poco
poco a poco: little by little, gradually; See also: poco
più: more; See also: meno
meno: less; See also: più
ma non troppo: but not too much
sempre: always, throughout
subitoPrinted as: sub.: suddenly, at once
quasi: almost, as if
similePrinted as: sim.: carry on in the same way
con: with; See also: senza
senza: without; See also: con
mosso: moved, with motion
possibile: as much as possible

Form & repeats

Da capoPrinted as: D.C.: repeat from the beginning; See also: Da capo al fine, Da capo al coda, Fine
Dal segnoPrinted as: D.S.: repeat from the segno mark; See also: Dal segno al fine, Dal segno al coda, Segno
Da capo al finePrinted as: D.C. al Fine: repeat from the beginning and stop at Fine; See also: Da capo, Da capo al coda, Fine
Da capo al codaPrinted as: D.C. al Coda: repeat from the beginning, then jump from the coda sign to the coda; See also: Da capo, Da capo al fine, Fine, Coda, Codetta, Dal segno al coda
Dal segno al finePrinted as: D.S. al Fine: repeat from the segno mark and stop at Fine; See also: Dal segno, Dal segno al coda, Segno
Dal segno al codaPrinted as: D.S. al Coda: repeat from the segno mark, then jump from the coda sign to the coda; See also: Dal segno, Dal segno al fine, Segno, Coda, Codetta, Da capo al coda
Fine: the end; See also: Da capo, Da capo al fine, Da capo al coda
Segno: the sign, D.S. jumps here; See also: Dal segno, Dal segno al fine, Dal segno al coda
Coda: tail section, played at the end; See also: Codetta, Da capo al coda, Dal segno al coda
Codetta: a short coda, closing a section rather than the piece; See also: Coda, Da capo al coda, Dal segno al coda
Ritornello: repeat sign, play the passage between the signs again; See also: Prima volta, Seconda volta
Prima voltaPrinted as: 1.: first ending, played the first time through; See also: Ritornello, Seconda volta
Seconda voltaPrinted as: 2.: second ending, played on the repeat instead of the first; See also: Ritornello, Prima volta
Attacca: go straight on to the next movement without a pause; See also: Volti subito
Volti subitoPrinted as: V.S.: turn the page quickly; See also: Attacca
Tacet: this part is silent for the whole movement
Cadenza: a free, virtuosic solo passage, often improvised
Ostinato: a persistent, repeated phrase

Italian tempo markings from slowest to fastest, with BPM

Each bar spans the range a marking usually covers, and its dot beats at the middle of that range. The ranges overlap because the words describe a character as much as a speed. Tap a row to hear the click.

Grave20–40 BPMvery slow and solemn
Largo40–60 BPMvery slow and broad
Lento45–60 BPMslow
Larghetto60–66 BPMfairly slow, a little quicker than largo
Adagio66–76 BPMslow, leisurely
Adagietto70–80 BPMfairly slow, a little quicker than adagio
Andante76–108 BPMwalking pace
Andantino80–108 BPMa little quicker than andante (some older scores meant a little slower)
Moderato108–120 BPMmoderate
Allegretto112–120 BPMmoderately fast, slightly slower than allegro
Allegro120–168 BPMfast and lively
Vivace168–176 BPMlively, faster than allegro
Vivacissimo172–176 BPMvery lively, a little faster than vivace
Presto168–200 BPMvery fast
Prestissimo200+ BPMas fast as possible

Beats per minute

Italian dynamics from softest to loudest

Dynamics are printed under the staff in bold italic letters. Tap one to hear the same note at that level. Each step is relative to the last, not a fixed number of decibels.

Getting louder or softer

crescendo: gradually getting louder
decrescendo: gradually getting softer (the same as diminuendo)
diminuendo: gradually getting softer

Sudden accents

sforzando: strong, sudden accent
fortepiano: loud, then immediately soft
rinforzando: reinforced, a sudden stress on a note or short phrase

Dying away

calando: getting softer and slower
morendo: dying away, softer and slower
smorzando: fading out, dying away
perdendosi: losing itself, fading into nothing
al niente: fade all the way to silence

How to read a full Italian marking

A score rarely prints one word on its own. Composers stack a tempo, a modifier and a character: molto means very, poco a little, più more, meno less, and ma non troppo means but not too much. Tap an example to read it word by word.

Examples

Test yourself

One term, four meanings, one of them right. Pick a category to drill before a theory exam or a rehearsal.

0 of 0 right

Frequently asked questions

What is the Italian word for slow in music?: Lento is the plain word for slow. The tempo markings get slower from Adagio (slow, leisurely) to Largo (very slow and broad) and Grave (very slow and solemn), the slowest of them at about 20 to 40 BPM.
What is the Italian word for fast in music?: Allegro means fast and lively, at about 120 to 168 BPM. Vivace is livelier still, Presto is very fast, and Prestissimo is as fast as possible. Allegretto sits a little below Allegro.
What are the Italian words for soft and loud in music?: Piano (p) means soft and forte (f) means loud. Pianissimo (pp) is very soft, fortissimo (ff) very loud, and mezzo, as in mezzo piano (mp) and mezzo forte (mf), means moderately. The piano's full name, pianoforte, comes from this pair, because it could play both.
Are tempo BPM values exact?: No, they are conventional ranges, not strict definitions. A piece marked Allegro can sit anywhere from about 120 to 168 BPM depending on style, conductor and edition.
What does "ma non troppo" mean?: But not too much. It softens the word before it, so Allegro ma non troppo is fast, but not too fast, and Adagio ma non troppo is slow without dragging.
What's the difference between ritardando, rallentando and ritenuto?: Ritardando and rallentando both slow down gradually, and many players treat them as the same. Ritenuto is different: it holds back at once, so the slower tempo starts on the marking rather than arriving over several bars.
What order do the dynamics go in?: From softest to loudest: ppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fff. Crescendo and diminuendo move between them gradually, while sforzando and fortepiano are sudden accents on a single note.
What's the difference between D.C. and D.S.?: Da capo sends you back to the very beginning, and dal segno sends you back to the segno sign. Al Fine means stop when you reach the word Fine; al Coda means that when you reach the coda sign, you jump to the coda.
Why are these terms in Italian?: Italian became the standard language of European music notation during the Baroque era. The first widely printed music came from Italian publishers, and the convention stuck.