Musical Definitions

GRAVE	Very slow and solemn
LARGO	Very slow and broad, with dignity
LENT or LENTO	Very slow
ADAGIO	Very slow and expressive
LARGHETTO	Not as slow as LARGO, but slower than ANDANTE
ANDANTE	Rather slow, but with a flowing movement ("Walking tempo")
ANDANTINO	A little quicker than ANDANTE
MODERATO	Moderate speed- not fast, not slow
ALLEGRETTO	Light and cheerful, but not as fast as ALLEGRO
ALLEGRO	"Merry", quick, lively, bright
VIVO	Lively, brisk (usually with ALLEGRO, as ALLEGRO VIVO
VIVACE	Vivacious, faster than ALLEGRO
PRESTO	Very quick, faster than VIVACE

Terms relating to CHANGE OF TEMPO:

ACCELERANDO	Abbreviated: accel. To increase the speed gradually
STRINGENDO	Abbreviated: string. To increase intensity by increasing tempo
AFFRETTANDO	To increase the speed gradually
ALLARGANDO	Abbreviated: allarg. Slower and louder
RITARDANDO	Abbreviated: Ritard. or Rit. Gradually slackening the speed.
RALLENTANDO	Abbreviated: Rall. Slowing down, gradually.
RUBATO	Literally means "Robbed"- a lingering on some notes and hurrying of others; free from strict tempo, but preserving the value of the rhythmic notation.
A TEMPO	Return to original tempo after a RITARD
TEMPO I (PRIMO)	Return to original tempo after a RITARD

Words that often accompany TEMPO Markings:

MOLTO	Very much; e.g., MOLTO RITARD means to slow down exceedingly
MENO	Less; e.g., MENO MOSSO means less fast (slower)
PIU	More
NON TROPPO	Not too much, e.g., ALLEGRO NON TROPPO means fast, but not too fast
POCO A POCO	literally "little by little". Used in combination with tempo markings. e.g., ACCEL. POCO A POCO means to increase the speed gradually over a span of measures.

Terms relating to DYNAMICS (from soft to loud):

PIANISSIMO	(abbr: pp). Very soft
PIANO	(abbr: p). Soft
MEZZO	Medium or moderately
MEZZO PIANO	(abbr: mp). Medium soft
MEZZO FORTE	(abbr: mf). Moderately loud
FORTE	(abbr: f). Loud
FORTISSIMO	(abbr: ff) Very loud
DIMINUENDO	(abbr: dim.) or the sign  means gradually getting softer
CRESCENDO	(abbr: cresc.) or the sign   means gradually getting louder
POCO A POCO	"Little by little". Indicates a gradual increase or decrease in volume of sound; e.g., CRESC> POCO A POCO means to increase the volume gradually.
ACCENT	A stress on notes so marked
SFORZANDO	(abbr: sfz) A strongly accented note or chord
SFORZATO	(abbr: sfp) strongly accented by then immediately PIANO
SUBITO	Suddenly. Usually to indicate a dramatically sudden change in dynamic level of sound; e.g., from pp to SUBITO ff.

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Terms relating to STYLE:

AGITATO	With agitation- excitedly
ALLA	In the style of (always used with other words) e.g., ALLA MARCIA- in the style of a march.
CON	With (as a connecting word), e.g., ANDANTE CON AMORE- slowly, with tenderness
ANIMATO	With animation, in a spirited manner
APPASSIONATO	With intensity and depth of feeling
BRILLANTE	Bright, sparkling, brilliant
BRIO	Vigor, spirit
CANTABILE	In a singing style
DOLCE	Sweetly and softly
ENERGICO, CON	With expression
FUOCO, CON	With fire or much energy
GRANDIOSO	In a noble, elevated style
GRAZIA, CON	With a graceful, flowing style
LEGATO	Smooth and connected, in a flowing manner (Opposite of STACCATO)
MAESTOSO	With majesty and grandeur
MARCATO	In a marked and emphatic style
PESANTE	Heavily, every note with marked emphasis
QUASI	In the manner of; e.g., QUASI UNA FANTASIA- in the style of a fantasia
SCHERZANDO	In a light playful and sportive manner
SCHERZO	A jest, one of the movements of certain symphonies, a composition of light and playful character
SECCO	Dry, plain, without ornamentation
SEMPRE	Always; e.g., SEMPRE STACCATO- to continue playing in a short and detached style
SPIRITO, CON	With spirit, or animation
STACCATO	Short and detached, with distinct precision (the opposite of LEGATO)
TENUTO	Sustained for the full time-value
TRANQUILLO	With tranquility, quietly, restfully

Miscellaneous Terms:

ACCIDENTALS	Flats and double flats, naturals, sharps and double sharps
ALLA BREVE	"Cut time"  The half-note is the unit of the meter
ARPEGGIO	A broken chord (Each note of the chord played in succession)
ATTACCA	Begin the next movement immediately
CADENCE	The close or ending of a phrase
CADENZA	An elaborate solo passage with fancy embellishments to display the proficiency of a performer.
CHROMATIC	Proceeding by semitones
CODA	Literally "A tail"- the closing measures of a piece of music
CON	With; e.g., CON SORDINO means "with mute"
DA CAPO	(abbr: D.C.) from the beginning
DAL SEGNO	(abbr: D.S.) to the sign
DIVISI	Divided, one performer plays the upper notes, the other plays the lower notes
FERMATA	A pause, marked
FINE	The end
G.P.	General Pause; a dramatic moment of silence for the entire ensemble
SEGUE	To the next piece without pause
SENZA	Without; e.g., SENZA SORDINO means without mute
SORDINO	A mute (used by brass and string players)
TACET	Be silent
TEMPO PRIMO	(Sometimes TEMPO I), means to return to the original tempo after a RITARD or ACCEL.
V.S.	Abbreviation found at the lower right corner of a music page, which stands for "Volti-subito" and means to turn the page quickly.
COL LEGNO	Applies to string instruments. Bowing or tapping the string with the wood of the bow instead of the hair.
GLISSANDO	To slide. Pulling or drawing the finger quickly up or down a series of adjacent notes. Also poss. on trombone and other inst.

These definitions courtesy The Fine Arts Department, Halifax Regional School Board, Halifax, Nova Scotia