Music Terminology Encyclopedia

Italian became the standard language for music terminology because Italy was the center of European music during the Renaissance and Baroque periods (1400-1750). Italian composers, musicians, and music publishers set the conventions that spread throughout Europe. Terms like allegro, forte, and piano were universally adopted and remain the international standard today.

Tempo refers to the speed of the music (how fast or slow), measured in beats per minute (BPM). Examples include Allegro (fast) and Adagio (slow). Dynamics refer to the volume or loudness of the music. Examples include forte (loud) and piano (soft). Both work together to shape musical expression.

Dynamic markings appear below the staff in sheet music. They range from ppp (very very soft) through pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, to fff (very very loud). Crescendo (<) means gradually get louder, and decrescendo (>) means gradually get softer. Special markings like sfz indicate a sudden accent.

Staccato and legato are opposite articulation markings. Staccato (marked with a dot above the note) means to play notes short and detached with silence between them. Legato (often marked with a slur line) means to play notes smoothly and connected with no gaps. Most music combines both techniques for musical variety.

Ornaments are decorative musical elements that embellish a melody. Common ornaments include trills (rapid alternation between two adjacent notes), mordents (quick alternation with a neighboring note), turns (a four-note pattern around the main note), and grace notes (small notes played quickly before the main note). They add expressiveness and virtuosity to performances.

Repeat signs (double barlines with dots) tell you to replay a section. Da Capo (D.C.) means go back to the beginning. Dal Segno (D.S.) means go back to the segno sign. Fine marks where to stop. Coda is a concluding section reached by jumping from a 'to coda' marking. These navigation tools help composers avoid writing the same music twice.