Italian Musical Terms
A searchable dictionary of common Italian markings used in printed music - tempo, dynamics, expression, articulation and form. Type in the search box or filter by category.
51 terms
Tempo
- Grave20–40 BPM
- very slow and solemn
- Largo40–60 BPM
- very slow and broad
- Lento45–60 BPM
- slow
- Adagio66–76 BPM
- slow, leisurely
- Andante76–108 BPM
- walking pace
- Moderato108–120 BPM
- moderate
- Allegretto112–120 BPM
- slightly slower than allegro
- Allegro120–168 BPM
- fast and lively
- Vivace168–176 BPM
- lively, faster than allegro
- Presto168–200 BPM
- very fast
- Prestissimo≥ 200 BPM
- as fast as possible
- Accelerando
- gradually speeding up
- Ritardando
- gradually slowing down
- Rallentando
- gradually slowing down (broader than rit.)
- Rubato
- freely with expressive timing
- A tempo
- return to the original tempo
Dynamics
- pianissimo (pp)
- very soft
- piano (p)
- soft
- mezzo piano (mp)
- moderately soft
- mezzo forte (mf)
- moderately loud
- forte (f)
- loud
- fortissimo (ff)
- very loud
- crescendo
- gradually getting louder
- decrescendo / dim.
- gradually getting softer
- sforzando (sfz)
- strong, sudden accent
Expression
- Cantabile
- in a singing style
- Dolce
- sweetly
- Espressivo
- with expression
- Grazioso
- gracefully
- Leggiero
- lightly
- Maestoso
- majestically
- Marcato
- marked, accented
- Tranquillo
- calmly
- Agitato
- agitated, restless
- Con fuoco
- with fire
- Con brio
- with vigour
Articulation
- Legato
- smoothly connected
- Staccato
- detached, short
- Staccatissimo
- very short and detached
- Tenuto
- held to full value
- Fermata
- hold for longer than written
- Pizzicato
- plucked (strings)
- Arco
- with the bow (strings)
- Tremolo
- rapid repetition of a note
- Trillo
- trill - alternate two adjacent notes
Form & repeats
- Da capo (D.C.)
- repeat from the beginning
- Dal segno (D.S.)
- repeat from the segno mark
- Fine
- the end
- Coda
- tail section, played at the end
- Segno
- the sign - D.S. jumps here
- Ostinato
- a persistent, repeated phrase
Frequently asked questions
- 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.
- Are tempo BPM values exact?
- No - they are conventional ranges, not strict definitions. A piece marked Allegro can sit anywhere from ~120 to 168 BPM depending on style, conductor and edition.