• grave - very slow, serious
• largo - broad, stately
• lento - slow
• adagio - slow, tranquil

• andante - moving; literally, "walking"
• moderato - moderately fast

• allegro - fast; literally, "cheerful"
• allegretto - fast; literally, "cheerful"
• vivace - very fast
• presto - very, very fast
• prestissimo - as fast as possible

• accelerando - with increasing rapidity
• stringendo - pressing, becoming faster
• doppio movimento - twice as fast
• piu mosso - at a faster speed
• piu moto or veloce - at a faster speed

• rallentando - gradually slower
• ritardando - gradually slower
• allargando - gradually slower
• ritenuto - held back, slowed down
• meno mosso - steady, but slower than before
• meno moto - steady, but slower than before
• morendo - dying, fading away

• a tempo - resume previous tempo
• tempo primo - go back to original tempo

• segue - continue into new section, do not stop
• l'istesso tempo - continue at the same tempo

• pianississimo - very, very soft
• pianissimo - very soft
• piano - soft
• mezzo piano - medium soft
• mezzo forte - medium loud
• forte - loud
• fortissimo - very loud
• fortississimo - very, very loud
• forte-piano - accent strongly, diminishing immediately to piano
• crescendo - gradually louder
• decrescendo or diminuendo - gradually softer

• agitato - restless, agitated
• amoroso - affectionately
• animato - with spirit
• brilliante - bright-sparkling
• delicato - delicately
• deciso - decided, with firmness
• dolce - softly, sweetly
• doloroso - sorrowfully
• furioso - furiously
• grandioso - pompous, majestic
• grazioso - in a graceful way
• legato - smoothly, opposite of staccato
• Maestoso - majestic, stately
• marcato - detached and accented
• passionato - with fervor
• pesante - heavily, emphatically
• risoluto - with bold, energetic resolve
• scherzando - playfully
• sostenuto - sustained, prolonged
• sotto voce - in a quiet, subdued tone
• spirito - with spirit
• staccato - detached, separate
• tranquillo - peacefully, calmly
• violento - with violence
• vivo - with life and animation
• volante - flyingly
• vivace - briskly, brightly

• 8va - play one octave higher or lower than written notes
• a2 or a due - together, both performers play
• accent - play a note with added stress
• ala - in the style of
• coda - a closing section
• con - with
• poco a poco - little by little
• con sordino - with mute
• da capo or (D.C) - go back to the beginning
• da capo al fine - go back to the beginning, play to the fine
• dal Segno - go back to the sign
• divisi - divided for separate instruments
• fine - the end
• glissando - slurred smoothly in a gliding manner
• mezzo - half-moderately
• molto - much, very
• mosso - motion, movement
• moto primo - same as at first
• obbligato - counter melody
• opus - a work
• piu - more
• poco or un poco - a little
• poco a poco - little by little
• precipitando - speedily, hurridly
• senza - without
• sforzando - with sudden emphasis
• simile - the same
• solo - for one performer
• stretto or stretta - increase of speed
• subito - suddenly
• super - above
• tacet - do not play
• tempo - rate of speed
• tempo di valse - in waltz time
• tenuto - held for full value
• trio - for three performers
• triplet - a group of three notes
• tutti - all the instruments
• va crescendo - continue increasing

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