{"id":34958,"date":"2023-11-10T18:17:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T17:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5f0c4d75-0f32-49ca-b825-1d6373bb5f60"},"modified":"2023-11-17T16:41:32","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T15:41:32","slug":"musical-terms-dictionary-a-glossary-of-useful-musical-language","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/musical-terms-dictionary-a-glossary-of-useful-musical-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Musical terms dictionary: a glossary of useful musical language"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 10 November 2023 at 17:17 PM<\/p>

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Classical music scores are filled with a wealth of instructions, many of them in Italian, indicating the composer’s intentions for how the piece should be performed. They add hugely to our understanding of a composer’s wishes and to our sense of how music should sound. However, these hundreds of terms can be daunting for anyone unversed in musical terminology.<\/p>

Here is a useful glossary of some of the key musical terms and definitions you are likely to come across. <\/p>

Key musical terms<\/h2>

Jump to letter:<\/p>

A<\/a> | B<\/a> | C<\/a> | D<\/a> | E<\/a> | F<\/a> | G<\/a> | H<\/a> | I<\/a> | K<\/a> | L<\/a> | M<\/a> | N<\/a> | O<\/a> |<\/strong> P<\/strong><\/a> |<\/strong> Q<\/a><\/strong> | R<\/a> | S<\/a> | T<\/a> | U<\/a> | V<\/a> | W<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Musical terms beginning with A<\/h3>

Accelerando<\/h4>

From the Italian, ‘accelerando<\/strong><\/a>‘ means ‘speeding up’, and denotes that the performers should start to play faster.<\/p>

Accidental<\/h4>

An accidental<\/a><\/strong> in music is a sharp (\u266f) or flat (\u266d) sign on a musical score that indicates a temporary change from the given key signature.<\/p>

Adagio<\/h4>

From the Italian, meaning \u2018slow\u2019, Adagio<\/a><\/strong> instructs the conductor and performers to play the music slowly.<\/p>

Allegro<\/h4>

Another Italian term, meaning <\/strong>‘lively’. Music with the instruction Allegro<\/a><\/strong> should be played at a brisk, upbeat pace. The first movements of many Classical and Romantic symphonies, for example, carry an Allegro<\/em> marking.<\/p>

Andante<\/h4>

Andante<\/a><\/strong> is Italian for ‘walking’ and means, you’ve guessed it, that the music should be played at a walking pace \u2013 neither slow nor fast. Example: the second movement of Mozart\u2019s Symphony No. 40.<\/p>