Essential Italian Dictionary for Musicians

Molto Helpful Tips

Reading a classical music score can make you feel like you’ve woken up in another country—tempos, phrasing indications, and other musical directions are rarely written in English. They are most often in Italian, French, or German, because those are major countries where classical music originated and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the tradition has carried on to this day. Of those three languages, Italian is by far the most commonly used in music, even in scores by composers who were not from Italy.

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Print out this Italian dictionary in your instrument case or music bag as a helpful cheat-sheet to refer to when you’re lost in translation. Keep in mind that you’ll encounter the general terms listed below combined with words describing tempo and meter, or with words describing character and phrasing—for example, con fuoco (with fire), allegro assai (very fast), or poco ritardando (slowing down slightly).

Buona fortuna! 

 

General Terms

poco a poco           little by little

assai, molto               very

con                             with

meno                         less

non troppo                not too much

più                              more

poco                          a little

quasi                         almost

Tempo and Meter

a témpo                    in the original tempo

accelerando             gradually speeding up

alla breve                 half note gets the beat; cut time

allargando                broadening; combination of ritardando and crescendo

allegro,animato       fast, lively

lento                         slowly

l’istesso tempo        beat remains constant

mosso                       motion (e.g., “piu mosso” or “meno mosso”)

rallentando,              slowing down

ritardando                 gradually

ritenuto                     slow down suddenly

rubato                       hold back or speed up the tempo at will

stringendo               pressing forward

tempo giusto           in strict tempo (non-rubato)

Character and Phrasing

a capriccio             capriciously

agitato                    in an agitated way, with excitement

bravura                  boldly

brio                         brilliant, spirited

cantabile                in singing style

dolce                      gently, sweetly

fuoco                      with fire

giocoso                  humorously

grazioso                 gracefully

legato                     smooth, connected

leggiero                 lightly

maestoso               majestic, with grandeur

pastorale               in a simple style

pesante                 heavy

scherzando           playfully

sostenuto              sustained

sotto voce             with subdued voice

tranquillo              peacefully