| A | B |
|---|
| a tempo | in time; generally implies a return to original rate of speed |
| accelerando (accel.) | gradually faster |
| al fine | to the finish |
| allegretto | light and moderately quick but not as fast as allegro |
| allegro | rapid; lively |
| andante (andte) | moderately slow but moving |
| andantino | generally a little quicker than andante |
| animato | spirited |
| cantabile | in a singing style |
| chromatic | by semi-tones |
| coda | the final added measures of a musical composition usually marked with a coda sign |
| con brio | with spirit; brilliantly |
| con spirito | with spirit; brilliance |
| crescendo (cresc.) | gradually louder |
| da capo (D.C.) | from the beginning |
| dal segno (D.S.) | from the sign |
| decrescendo (decres.) | gradually softer |
| diminuendo (dim.) | gradually softer |
| dolce | sweetly |
| etude | a study |
| fermata | a hold or pause |
| forte (f) | loud |
| fortissimo (ff) | very loud |
| grazioso | gracefully |
| largo | very slow |
| legato | smooth and connected |
| maestoso | majestically |
| marcato | marked; with emphasis |
| marziale | martial |
| mezzo | medium; half (such as mezzo-forte medium loud or mezzo piano medium soft) |
| moderato | moderately |
| molto | very |
| pianissimo (pp) | very softly |
| piano (p) | softly |
| poco a poco | little by little |
| presto | very fast |
| rallentando (rall.) | gradually slower |
| ritardando (rit.) | gradually slower |
| segno | the sign |
| soli | more than one performer in unison |
| solo | a composition or passage for one performer |
| staccato | separated detached style |
| tacet | silent |
| tempo | time; speed |
| tenuto (ten.) | sustain full value |
