German music terms and their meanings
The words a German 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
German terms for tempo and pacing
| German | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| langsam | Slow | General slow tempo direction |
| sehr langsam | Very slow | Degree of slowness depends on style |
| breit | Broadly | Broad in tempo and character. In Spanish, largo means long. |
| Adagio | Slow and expressive | Widely shared historical tempo word |
| gehend | At a walking pace | Not a fixed metronome value |
| mäßig | Moderately | Moderate tempo or intensity |
| schnell | Quickly | Often conveys lively character as well as speed |
| lebhaft | Lively | Animated, energetic character |
| sehr schnell | Very quickly | Fast tempo direction |
| mit Bewegung | With movement | Encourages forward motion |
| bewegter | More movement | Increase the sense of motion |
| ruhiger | Less movement | Reduce the sense of motion |
| allmählich schneller | Gradually faster | Tempo increases progressively |
| allmählich langsamer | Gradually slower | Tempo decreases progressively |
| zurückhaltend | Hold back | More immediate restraint than a gradual rallentando |
| im Zeitmaß | Return to tempo | Resume prior established tempo |
| Tempo I | First tempo | Return to original tempo |
| frei | Freely | Interpretive flexibility within context |
| Rubato | With flexible time | Expressive redistribution of time |
| streng im Takt | Strictly in time | Discourages expressive tempo fluctuation |
German terms for dynamics and expression
| German | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| leise | Soft | Common notation uses p, regardless of language |
| sehr leise | Very soft | Common notation uses pp |
| mäßig leise | Moderately soft | Common notation uses mp |
| mäßig laut | Moderately loud | Common notation uses mf |
| laut | Loud | Common notation uses f |
| sehr laut | Very loud | Common notation uses ff |
| lauter werdend | Gradually louder | Also indicated by an opening hairpin |
| leiser werdend | Gradually softer | Also indicated by a closing hairpin |
| plötzlich leise | Suddenly soft | Immediate dynamic contrast |
| plötzlich laut | Suddenly loud | Immediate dynamic contrast |
| mit Kraft | With force | Strongly energized attack or character |
| sanft | Sweetly | Gentle character, not necessarily a specific dynamic |
| ruhig | Calmly | Serene or settled character |
| ausdrucksvoll | Expressively | Calls for expressive shaping |
| mit Gefühl | With feeling | Emotional character |
| gesanglich | Singing style | Phrase as if sung |
| spielerisch | Playfully | Light, playful character |
| majestätisch | Majestically | Dignified and grand character |
| mit Schwung | With energy | Spirited character |
| erregt | Agitated | Restless, urgent character |
| geheimnisvoll | Mysteriously | Suggests enigmatic character |
| zart | Tenderly | Gentle, affectionate character |
| leidenschaftlich | Passionately | Intense expressive character |
| feierlich | Solemnly | Ceremonial or serious character |
| leicht | Lightly | Light articulation or touch |
German terms for articulation and technique
| German | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| schwer | Heavily | Weighty touch or character |
| getragen | Sustained | Support notes and phrases. In Spanish, sostenido also means sharp (♯). |
| abgestoßen | Detached | Separate the notes; length depends on context. French détaché is a bowing, not staccato. |
| gebunden | Connected | Smoothly connected tones |
| markiert | Marked | Clearly emphasized attacks |
| betont | Accented | Emphasized note or gesture |
| gehalten | Full length | Often full value or gentle emphasis |
| portato | Separated but connected | Intermediate articulation; instrument-dependent |
| sehr kurz | Very short | Shorter, more emphatic detachment |
| fließend | Flowing | Flowing passagework |
| deutlich | Clearly | Articulate each note clearly |
| Fermate | With a pause | Hold beyond notated value; duration is contextual |
| atmen | Take a breath | Breath or phrasing separation |
| Zäsur | Pause in the flow | Momentary break, often shown by caesura sign |
| gesungen | Sung | Sung rather than spoken |
| gesprochen | Spoken | Spoken rather than sung delivery |
| geflüstert | Whispered | Quiet speech-like vocal effect |
| ohne Vibrato | Without vibrato | Avoid deliberate pitch oscillation |
| mit Vibrato | With vibrato | Apply vibrato as stylistically appropriate |
| mit Dämpfer | With mute | Use a mute; device varies by instrument |
| ohne Dämpfer | Without mute | Remove mute |
| gezupft | Plucked | Pluck bowed-string instrument |
| mit dem Bogen | Bowed | Resume bowing |
| am Steg | Near bridge | Bowed-string contact near bridge |
| am Griffbrett | Over fingerboard | Bowed-string contact over fingerboard |
| mit dem Bogenholz | With bow wood | Battuto strikes the strings with the wood; tratto draws it across them. |
| natürliches Flageolett | Natural harmonic | String lightly touched at node |
| Tremolo | Tremolo | Rapid repetition or alternation; may be measured |
| Triller | Trill | Rapid alternation with neighbor note |
| Doppelschlag | Turn | Ornament around principal pitch |
| kurzer Vorschlag | 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 |
| arpeggiert | Spread chord | Sound chord tones successively |
| wiederholen | Repeat | Play material again |
German terms for navigation and ensemble
| German | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| von Anfang an | From the beginning | Navigation back to opening |
| vom Zeichen | From the sign | Return to segno |
| zur Coda | To the coda | Jump to closing passage when directed |
| Ende | End | Marks designated conclusion |
| erstes Mal | First time | First repeat ending |
| zweites Mal | Second time | Second repeat ending |
| alle | All together | Full ensemble or section |
| Solo | Alone | A single featured player or part |
| geteilt | Divided | Section divides into separate parts |
| unisono | Unison | Same musical line. German einstimmig means one-part, not unison. |
| wahlweise | Optional | Performer may omit or choose part |
| wie zuvor | As before | Return to earlier manner |
| ebenso | Similar manner | Continue established pattern |
| ohne Takt | Without measure | Free, non-barred timing |
| improvisiert | Improvised | Material created in performance |
| in der Art von | In the style of | Points to a style to imitate |
| mit der Stimme | With the voice | Vocal participation or imitation |
| mit Pedal | With the pedal | Use sustain pedal in context |
| ohne Pedal | Without pedal | Do not use sustain pedal |
| mit Verschiebung | Soft pedal | Grand-piano left pedal; instrument mechanism varies |
| ohne Verschiebung | Release soft pedal | Release the soft pedal. |
| leere Saiten | Open strings | Use unstopped strings |
| rechte Hand | With the right hand | Keyboard or instrumental hand indication |
German terms for musical concepts and score vocabulary
| German | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| linke Hand | With the left hand | Keyboard or instrumental hand indication |
| hohe Lage | High register | Upper part of an instrument’s range |
| tiefe Lage | Low register | Lower part of an instrument’s range |
| mittlere Lage | Middle register | Central part of instrumental range |
| aufsteigend | Ascending | Moving toward higher pitches |
| absteigend | Descending | Moving toward lower pitches |
| chromatisch | Chromatic | Movement involving semitone pitches |
| diatonisch | Diatonic | Belonging to a seven-note diatonic collection |
| Durtonart | Major key | Major tonal center |
| Molltonart | Minor key | Minor tonal center |
| Taktart | Time signature | Written metric organization. Italian indicazione di tempo means a tempo marking. |
| Vorzeichnung | Key signature | Default pitch alterations at beginning of staff |
| Takt | Measure | Metrical segment between barlines |
| Schlag | Beat | Underlying recurring pulse |
| Phrase | Phrase | Musical unit with expressive contour |
| Melodie | Melody | Perceived sequence of pitches |
| Harmonie | Harmony | Simultaneous pitch organization |
| Kontrapunkt | Counterpoint | Interaction of independent lines |
| Kadenz | 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 |
| Klangfarbe | Timbre | Distinctive sound quality |
| Resonanz | Resonance | Sustained acoustic response |
| Intonation | Intonation | Pitch accuracy relative to context |
| Balance | Balance | Relative prominence among parts |
| Form | Form | Organization of a composition |
| Thema | 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 |
| hören | Listen | Instruction to attend to sound |
| dem Dirigenten folgen | Follow conductor | Ensemble cue and coordination |
| ohne Begleitung | Without accompaniment | Unaccompanied performance |
| mit Begleitung | With accompaniment | Accompanied performance |
Also: Italian music terms · French 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.
Open Musical Terms in Translation →