Spanish music terms and their meanings
The words a Spanish 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
Spanish terms for tempo and pacing
| Spanish | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| lento | Slow | General slow tempo direction |
| muy lento | Very slow | Degree of slowness depends on style |
| amplio | 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 |
| moderado | Moderately | Moderate tempo or intensity |
| rápido | Quickly | Often conveys lively character as well as speed |
| vivaz | Lively | Animated, energetic character |
| muy rápido | Very quickly | Fast tempo direction |
| con movimiento | With movement | Encourages forward motion |
| más movido | More movement | Increase the sense of motion |
| menos movido | Less movement | Reduce the sense of motion |
| acelerando | Gradually faster | Tempo increases progressively |
| retardando | Gradually slower | Tempo decreases progressively |
| retenido | Hold back | More immediate restraint than a gradual rallentando |
| a tempo | Return to tempo | Resume prior established tempo |
| tempo primo | First tempo | Return to original tempo |
| libremente | Freely | Interpretive flexibility within context |
| rubato | With flexible time | Expressive redistribution of time |
| estrictamente a tiempo | Strictly in time | Discourages expressive tempo fluctuation |
Spanish terms for dynamics and expression
| Spanish | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| suave | Soft | Common notation uses p, regardless of language |
| muy suave | Very soft | Common notation uses pp |
| moderadamente suave | Moderately soft | Common notation uses mp |
| moderadamente fuerte | Moderately loud | Common notation uses mf |
| fuerte | Loud | Common notation uses f |
| muy fuerte | Very loud | Common notation uses ff |
| creciendo | Gradually louder | Also indicated by an opening hairpin |
| disminuyendo | Gradually softer | Also indicated by a closing hairpin |
| súbitamente suave | Suddenly soft | Immediate dynamic contrast |
| súbitamente fuerte | Suddenly loud | Immediate dynamic contrast |
| con fuerza | With force | Strongly energized attack or character |
| dulcemente | Sweetly | Gentle character, not necessarily a specific dynamic |
| tranquilo | Calmly | Serene or settled character |
| expresivo | Expressively | Calls for expressive shaping |
| con sentimiento | With feeling | Emotional character |
| cantabile | Singing style | Phrase as if sung |
| juguetón | Playfully | Light, playful character |
| majestuoso | Majestically | Dignified and grand character |
| con brío | With energy | Spirited character |
| agitado | Agitated | Restless, urgent character |
| misterioso | Mysteriously | Suggests enigmatic character |
| tiernamente | Tenderly | Gentle, affectionate character |
| apasionado | Passionately | Intense expressive character |
| solemne | Solemnly | Ceremonial or serious character |
| ligero | Lightly | Light articulation or touch |
Spanish terms for articulation and technique
| Spanish | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| pesado | Heavily | Weighty touch or character |
| sostenido | Sustained | Support notes and phrases. In Spanish, sostenido also means sharp (♯). |
| picado | Detached | Separate the notes; length depends on context. French détaché is a bowing, not staccato. |
| ligado | Connected | Smoothly connected tones |
| marcado | Marked | Clearly emphasized attacks |
| acentuado | Accented | Emphasized note or gesture |
| tenuto | Full length | Often full value or gentle emphasis |
| portato | Separated but connected | Intermediate articulation; instrument-dependent |
| muy picado | Very short | Shorter, more emphatic detachment |
| fluido | Flowing | Flowing passagework |
| claramente | Clearly | Articulate each note clearly |
| calderón | With a pause | Hold beyond notated value; duration is contextual |
| respirar | Take a breath | Breath or phrasing separation |
| cesura | Pause in the flow | Momentary break, often shown by caesura sign |
| cantado | Sung | Sung rather than spoken |
| hablado | Spoken | Spoken rather than sung delivery |
| susurrado | Whispered | Quiet speech-like vocal effect |
| sin vibrato | Without vibrato | Avoid deliberate pitch oscillation |
| con vibrato | With vibrato | Apply vibrato as stylistically appropriate |
| con sordina | With mute | Use a mute; device varies by instrument |
| sin sordina | Without mute | Remove mute |
| pizzicato | Plucked | Pluck bowed-string instrument |
| con arco | Bowed | Resume bowing |
| cerca del puente | Near bridge | Bowed-string contact near bridge |
| sobre el diapasón | Over fingerboard | Bowed-string contact over fingerboard |
| con la madera del arco | With bow wood | Battuto strikes the strings with the wood; tratto draws it across them. |
| armónico natural | Natural harmonic | String lightly touched at node |
| trémolo | Tremolo | Rapid repetition or alternation; may be measured |
| trino | Trill | Rapid alternation with neighbor note |
| grupeto | Turn | Ornament around principal pitch |
| apoyatura breve | 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 |
| arpegiado | Spread chord | Sound chord tones successively |
| repetir | Repeat | Play material again |
Spanish terms for navigation and ensemble
| Spanish | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| desde el principio | From the beginning | Navigation back to opening |
| desde el signo | From the sign | Return to segno |
| a la coda | To the coda | Jump to closing passage when directed |
| fin | End | Marks designated conclusion |
| primera vez | First time | First repeat ending |
| segunda vez | Second time | Second repeat ending |
| todos | All together | Full ensemble or section |
| solo | Alone | A single featured player or part |
| divididos | Divided | Section divides into separate parts |
| al unísono | Unison | Same musical line. German einstimmig means one-part, not unison. |
| opcional | Optional | Performer may omit or choose part |
| como antes | As before | Return to earlier manner |
| del mismo modo | Similar manner | Continue established pattern |
| sin compás | Without measure | Free, non-barred timing |
| improvisado | Improvised | Material created in performance |
| a la manera de | In the style of | Points to a style to imitate |
| con la voz | With the voice | Vocal participation or imitation |
| con pedal | With the pedal | Use sustain pedal in context |
| sin pedal | Without pedal | Do not use sustain pedal |
| una corda | Soft pedal | Grand-piano left pedal; instrument mechanism varies |
| tre corde | Release soft pedal | Release the soft pedal. |
| cuerdas al aire | Open strings | Use unstopped strings |
| mano derecha | With the right hand | Keyboard or instrumental hand indication |
Spanish terms for musical concepts and score vocabulary
| Spanish | English | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| mano izquierda | With the left hand | Keyboard or instrumental hand indication |
| registro agudo | High register | Upper part of an instrument’s range |
| registro grave | Low register | Lower part of an instrument’s range |
| registro medio | Middle register | Central part of instrumental range |
| ascendente | Ascending | Moving toward higher pitches |
| descendente | Descending | Moving toward lower pitches |
| cromático | Chromatic | Movement involving semitone pitches |
| diatónico | Diatonic | Belonging to a seven-note diatonic collection |
| tonalidad mayor | Major key | Major tonal center |
| tonalidad menor | Minor key | Minor tonal center |
| indicación de compás | Time signature | Written metric organization. Italian indicazione di tempo means a tempo marking. |
| armadura de clave | Key signature | Default pitch alterations at beginning of staff |
| compás | Measure | Metrical segment between barlines |
| pulso | Beat | Underlying recurring pulse |
| frase | Phrase | Musical unit with expressive contour |
| melodía | Melody | Perceived sequence of pitches |
| armonía | Harmony | Simultaneous pitch organization |
| contrapunto | Counterpoint | Interaction of independent lines |
| cadencia | Cadence | Phrase-ending harmonic or melodic gesture. In Italian, cadenza also means a solo cadenza. |
| modulación | Modulation | Change of tonal center |
| transposición | Transposition | Shift musical material to new pitch level |
| timbre | Timbre | Distinctive sound quality |
| resonancia | Resonance | Sustained acoustic response |
| afinación | Intonation | Pitch accuracy relative to context |
| equilibrio | Balance | Relative prominence among parts |
| forma | Form | Organization of a composition |
| tema | Theme | Recognizable principal musical idea |
| variación | Variation | Transformation of an existing idea |
| estribillo | Refrain | Recurring passage; terminology varies by genre |
| messa di voce | Crescendo then diminuendo | Vocal dynamic shaping on one sustained tone |
| escuchar | Listen | Instruction to attend to sound |
| seguir al director | Follow conductor | Ensemble cue and coordination |
| sin acompañamiento | Without accompaniment | Unaccompanied performance |
| con acompañamiento | With accompaniment | Accompanied performance |
Also: Italian music terms · French music terms · German 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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