The Music Dictionary
Expression and Performance Terms
Every performance term in The Music Dictionary, with its meaning in music.
- A tempo
- A direction to return to the previously established speed after a change.
- Agogic accent
- An emphasis created by slightly lengthening a note rather than increasing its loudness.
- Articulation
- The manner in which notes begin, connect, separate, or end.
- Attacca
- An instruction to proceed directly into the next section without a pause.
- Balance
- The relative audibility of parts within an ensemble or musical texture.
- Bel canto
- A vocal tradition emphasizing agility, legato line, and refined tone production.
- Breath mark
- A notation suggesting a brief breath or separation in a musical phrase.
- Cantabile
- An instruction to play or sing in a lyrical, singing manner.
- Con brio
- An expression marking calling for vigor, energy, and spirited delivery.
- Con moto
- A marking requesting movement or animation in the tempo or character.
- Con sordino
- An instruction to use a mute or, on some instruments, a specified damping mechanism.
- Crescendo
- A gradual increase in dynamic intensity.
- Da capo
- A direction to return to the beginning of a piece or designated section.
- Dal segno
- A direction to resume from the sign marked in the score.
- Decrescendo
- A gradual reduction in dynamic intensity.
- Dolce
- A marking requesting sweetness or tenderness of tone.
- Dynamics
- The varying degrees of loudness and softness used to shape music.
- Espressivo
- A direction to perform with expressive intensity and sensitivity.
- Fine
- Italian for "end." Marks where a piece ends after a D.C. or D.S. sends the player back to repeat an earlier section.
- Forte
- A dynamic marking indicating a strong or loud sound.
- Fortepiano
- As a dynamic (fp): a loud attack followed at once by soft. Also the early piano of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the instrument Mozart and Beethoven knew.
- Glissando
- A continuous or rapid sweep between pitches, executed differently across instruments.
- Grace note
- A small ornamental note performed in close relation to a principal note.
- Legato
- An articulation connecting successive notes smoothly, with minimal interruption.
- Maestoso
- A performance direction suggesting dignity and grandeur.
- Marcato
- An instruction to emphasize notes distinctly, often with firm attack.
- Messa di voce
- A controlled crescendo and decrescendo on a sustained sung note.
- Mezza voce
- A restrained, half-voice manner of singing, usually intimate rather than forceful.
- Misterioso
- A direction inviting a mysterious or enigmatic musical character.
- Morendo
- A direction to let sound diminish and often slow as it fades away.
- Pesante
- A marking calling for weighty, heavy articulation.
- Pianissimo
- A dynamic marking asking for a level softer than piano.
- Piano
- A dynamic marking indicating soft performance, distinct from the keyboard instrument.
- Portamento
- An expressive glide between pitches, particularly associated with voice and strings.
- Portato
- A gently separated articulation between fully detached and smoothly connected playing.
- Sempre
- A word indicating that a specified manner or dynamic should continue.
- Senza vibrato
- An instruction to perform without vibrato, often creating a clear, direct tone.
- Sforzando
- A sudden strong emphasis on a note or chord.
- Simile
- An instruction to continue with the previously indicated articulation or manner.
- Smorzando
- A direction to let the sound die away, sometimes with a slowing tempo.
- Sostenuto
- A sustained, supported manner of performance or a marking to maintain notes.
- Staccatissimo
- An exceptionally short, sharply detached articulation.
- Staccato
- An articulation that separates notes, generally shortening their sounding duration.
- Subito
- A marking indicating that a change should happen suddenly.
- Tenuto
- A marking suggesting full value, gentle emphasis, or sustained connection, according to context.
- Tranquillo
- A direction to perform calmly, without agitation.
- Tremolo
- A rapid reiteration or alternation creating a shimmering or sustained effect.
- Vibrato
- A controlled fluctuation in pitch, and sometimes intensity, that enriches sustained tone.
- Voicing
- The distribution and relative emphasis of notes within a chord or ensemble texture.
- Warm-up
- A graduated set of exercises preparing coordination, listening, and physical control for performance.
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