PronounceItRight.com
Classical music: learn to pronounce all the Italian terms
Published in: News 26/08/2014
Vibrato, vivace, pizzicato... If you love classical music, you must know the most important Italian music terms and their meaning. But you need to learn the correct pronunciation as well: click and listen!
| A cappella - sung without instrumental accompaniment | Adagio - slowly |
| Agitato - agitated, restless | Allegro - fast, at a brisk speed |
| Amabile - amiable, pleasant | Andante - moderately slow |
| Andantino - lighter than Andante, and usually quicker | Arco - played on a stringed instrument |
| Arioso - like an aria but less formal | Bis - twice |
| Brio - vigour, vivaciousness (eg: con brio = with vigour) | Calando - gradually decreasing in speed and volume |
| Cantabile - in a smooth singing style | Capriccioso - in a free and impulsive style |
| Crescendo - gradually increasing in loudness | Decrescendo - gradually decreasing in loudness |
| Diminuendo - same meaning of Decrescendo | Dolce - sweetly and softly |
| Energico - played with energy | Forte - loud, strong |
| Fortissimo - very loud | Giocoso - playful, humerous |
| Gioioso - joyful, merry | Grave - very slow, solemn |
| Impetuoso - impetuous, forcefully | Incalzando - getting quicker |
| Inquieto - restless | Legato - without breaks between notes |
| Leggero - lightly, delicately, gently | Lento slow |
| Maestoso - to be performed in a majestic manner | Marcato - played with emphasis |
| Mezzoforte - moderately loud | Mezzopiano - moderately soft |
| Moderato - played at a moderate pace | Mosso - fast and with animation |
| Pausa - pause | Pianissimo - very soft |
| Piano - soft | Pizzicato - plucking the strings of a stringed instrument |
Placido - calm, peaceful | Soave - gentle, smooth |
| Sonoro, resonant, loud | Sostenuto - played in a sustained or prolonged manner |
| Staccato - each note sharply detached from the others | Stretto - performed in quicker time |
| Tempo - speed, pace | Tenuto - a note held for its full time value |
| Tranquillo - calm, quiet manner | Trionfale - triumphant |
| Veloce - played at a fast tempo | Vibrato - rapid, slight variation in pitch in playing |
| Vigoroso - vigorous, strong | Vivace - lively |