French music terms and their meanings
The words a French score uses for tempo, dynamics, expression, articulation and the layout of the music, beside their English meaning.
Tempo and Pacing · Dynamics and Expression · Articulation and Technique · Navigation and Ensemble · Musical Concepts and Score Vocabulary
French terms for tempo and pacing
| French | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| lent | Slow | General slow tempo direction |
| très lent | Very slow | Degree of slowness depends on style |
| large | Broadly | Broad in tempo and character. In Spanish, largo means long. |
| adagio | Slow and expressive | Widely shared historical tempo word |
| andante | At a walking pace | Not a fixed metronome value |
| modéré | Moderately | Moderate tempo or intensity |
| vite | Quickly | Often conveys lively character as well as speed |
| vif | Lively | Animated, energetic character |
| très vite | Very quickly | Fast tempo direction |
| avec mouvement | With movement | Encourages forward motion |
| plus animé | More movement | Increase the sense of motion |
| moins animé | Less movement | Reduce the sense of motion |
| en pressant | Gradually faster | Tempo increases progressively |
| en ralentissant | Gradually slower | Tempo decreases progressively |
| retenu | Hold back | More immediate restraint than a gradual rallentando |
| au mouvement | Return to tempo | Resume prior established tempo |
| premier mouvement | First tempo | Return to original tempo |
| librement | Freely | Interpretive flexibility within context |
| rubato | With flexible time | Expressive redistribution of time |
| strictement en mesure | Strictly in time | Discourages expressive tempo fluctuation |
French terms for dynamics and expression
| French | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| doux | Soft | Common notation uses p, regardless of language |
| très doux | Very soft | Common notation uses pp |
| assez doux | Moderately soft | Common notation uses mp |
| assez fort | Moderately loud | Common notation uses mf |
| fort | Loud | Common notation uses f |
| très fort | Very loud | Common notation uses ff |
| crescendo | Gradually louder | Also indicated by an opening hairpin |
| diminuendo | Gradually softer | Also indicated by a closing hairpin |
| subitement doux | Suddenly soft | Immediate dynamic contrast |
| subitement fort | Suddenly loud | Immediate dynamic contrast |
| avec force | With force | Strongly energized attack or character |
| doucement | Sweetly | Gentle character, not necessarily a specific dynamic |
| tranquille | Calmly | Serene or settled character |
| expressif | Expressively | Calls for expressive shaping |
| avec sentiment | With feeling | Emotional character |
| chantant | Singing style | Phrase as if sung |
| enjoué | Playfully | Light, playful character |
| majestueux | Majestically | Dignified and grand character |
| avec entrain | With energy | Spirited character |
| agité | Agitated | Restless, urgent character |
| mystérieux | Mysteriously | Suggests enigmatic character |
| tendrement | Tenderly | Gentle, affectionate character |
| passionné | Passionately | Intense expressive character |
| solennel | Solemnly | Ceremonial or serious character |
| léger | Lightly | Light articulation or touch |
French terms for articulation and technique
| French | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| pesant | Heavily | Weighty touch or character |
| soutenu | Sustained | Support notes and phrases. In Spanish, sostenido also means sharp (♯). |
| piqué | Detached | Separate the notes; length depends on context. French détaché is a bowing, not staccato. |
| lié | Connected | Smoothly connected tones |
| marqué | Marked | Clearly emphasized attacks |
| accentué | Accented | Emphasized note or gesture |
| tenu | Full length | Often full value or gentle emphasis |
| louré | Separated but connected | Intermediate articulation; instrument-dependent |
| très court | Very short | Shorter, more emphatic detachment |
| coulant | Flowing | Flowing passagework |
| distinctement | Clearly | Articulate each note clearly |
| point d’orgue | With a pause | Hold beyond notated value; duration is contextual |
| respirer | Take a breath | Breath or phrasing separation |
| césure | Pause in the flow | Momentary break, often shown by caesura sign |
| chanté | Sung | Sung rather than spoken |
| parlé | Spoken | Spoken rather than sung delivery |
| chuchoté | Whispered | Quiet speech-like vocal effect |
| sans vibrato | Without vibrato | Avoid deliberate pitch oscillation |
| avec vibrato | With vibrato | Apply vibrato as stylistically appropriate |
| avec sourdine | With mute | Use a mute; device varies by instrument |
| sans sourdine | Without mute | Remove mute |
| pizzicato | Plucked | Pluck bowed-string instrument |
| avec l’archet | Bowed | Resume bowing |
| près du chevalet | Near bridge | Bowed-string contact near bridge |
| sur la touche | Over fingerboard | Bowed-string contact over fingerboard |
| avec le bois de l’archet | With bow wood | Battuto strikes the strings with the wood; tratto draws it across them. |
| harmonique naturel | Natural harmonic | String lightly touched at node |
| trémolo | Tremolo | Rapid repetition or alternation; may be measured |
| trille | Trill | Rapid alternation with neighbor note |
| gruppetto | Turn | Ornament around principal pitch |
| acciaccature | Short grace note | A crushed grace note, played as quickly as possible |
| glissando | Slide | Continuous or discrete pitch transition by instrument |
| portamento | Expressive slide | Audible connection between pitches |
| arpégé | Spread chord | Sound chord tones successively |
| répéter | Repeat | Play material again |
French terms for navigation and ensemble
| French | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| depuis le début | From the beginning | Navigation back to opening |
| depuis le signe | From the sign | Return to segno |
| à la coda | To the coda | Jump to closing passage when directed |
| fin | End | Marks designated conclusion |
| première fois | First time | First repeat ending |
| deuxième fois | Second time | Second repeat ending |
| tous | All together | Full ensemble or section |
| seul | Alone | A single featured player or part |
| divisés | Divided | Section divides into separate parts |
| à l’unisson | Unison | Same musical line. German einstimmig means one-part, not unison. |
| facultatif | Optional | Performer may omit or choose part |
| comme auparavant | As before | Return to earlier manner |
| de même | Similar manner | Continue established pattern |
| sans mesure | Without measure | Free, non-barred timing |
| improvisé | Improvised | Material created in performance |
| à la manière de | In the style of | Points to a style to imitate |
| avec la voix | With the voice | Vocal participation or imitation |
| avec pédale | With the pedal | Use sustain pedal in context |
| sans pédale | Without pedal | Do not use sustain pedal |
| une corde | Soft pedal | Grand-piano left pedal; instrument mechanism varies |
| trois cordes | Release soft pedal | Release the soft pedal. |
| cordes à vide | Open strings | Use unstopped strings |
| main droite | With the right hand | Keyboard or instrumental hand indication |
French terms for musical concepts and score vocabulary
| French | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| main gauche | With the left hand | Keyboard or instrumental hand indication |
| registre aigu | High register | Upper part of an instrument’s range |
| registre grave | Low register | Lower part of an instrument’s range |
| registre médium | Middle register | Central part of instrumental range |
| ascendant | Ascending | Moving toward higher pitches |
| descendant | Descending | Moving toward lower pitches |
| chromatique | Chromatic | Movement involving semitone pitches |
| diatonique | Diatonic | Belonging to a seven-note diatonic collection |
| tonalité majeure | Major key | Major tonal center |
| tonalité mineure | Minor key | Minor tonal center |
| indication de mesure | Time signature | Written metric organization. Italian indicazione di tempo means a tempo marking. |
| armure | Key signature | Default pitch alterations at beginning of staff |
| mesure | Measure | Metrical segment between barlines |
| temps | Beat | Underlying recurring pulse |
| phrase | Phrase | Musical unit with expressive contour |
| mélodie | Melody | Perceived sequence of pitches |
| harmonie | Harmony | Simultaneous pitch organization |
| contrepoint | Counterpoint | Interaction of independent lines |
| cadence | Cadence | Phrase-ending harmonic or melodic gesture. In Italian, cadenza also means a solo cadenza. |
| modulation | Modulation | Change of tonal center |
| transposition | Transposition | Shift musical material to new pitch level |
| timbre | Timbre | Distinctive sound quality |
| résonance | Resonance | Sustained acoustic response |
| intonation | Intonation | Pitch accuracy relative to context |
| équilibre | Balance | Relative prominence among parts |
| forme | Form | Organization of a composition |
| thème | Theme | Recognizable principal musical idea |
| variation | Variation | Transformation of an existing idea |
| refrain | Refrain | Recurring passage; terminology varies by genre |
| messa di voce | Crescendo then diminuendo | Vocal dynamic shaping on one sustained tone |
| écouter | Listen | Instruction to attend to sound |
| suivre le chef | Follow conductor | Ensemble cue and coordination |
| sans accompagnement | Without accompaniment | Unaccompanied performance |
| avec accompagnement | With accompaniment | Accompanied performance |
Also: Italian music terms · German music terms · Spanish music terms · every language side by side
Some entries are plain translations used in rehearsal rather than printed markings. Meaning can shift with era and instrument. These are the standard words printed in scores. Usage varies by edition, publisher and period.
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