Italian Musical Terms Used in English
Italian musical terms used in English are in extremely wide supply, as you will see from looking at the following extensive list of terms taken from that language.
Italian Musical Terms Used in English
You literally will find dozens upon dozens of Italian musical terms that we use in our English language. Instead of just providing the word, we have also provided a very brief definition of what each word means. Therefore, you will not only know which words we have borrowed from the Italian language, but also the significance of each one in the field of music:
- Acapella: A song sung without any instruments
- Aria: A song from an opera
- Ballabile: A song which is to be danced to
- Battaglia: A musical piece which is meant to indicate battle
- Cantata: A musical piece for an orchestra and its singers
- Capriccio: A piece of music that is played lively
- Coda: The ending of a musical composition
- Concerto: Basically a concert
- Intermezzo: A short piece of music that connects two larger ones
- Libretto: A book which contains the words to an opera
- Opera: A dramatic musical presentation
- Opera buffa: A funny opera
- Opera seria: A serious opera
- Sonata: Composition written for one or two instruments
- Piano: The instrument that we all know and love
- Viola: String instrument
- Cello: Large string instrument
- Viola de gamba: String instrument that is held between the legs
- Viola de braccio: String instrument held in the arms
- Tuba: Large brass instrument
- Piccolo: Very small woodwind instrument
- Timpani: Large drums
- Cornetto: Old woodwind instrument
- Campana: Bell
- Orchestra: The typical orchestra that we know
- Oboe d'amore: Woodwind instrument
- Soprano: Highest vocal group
- Mezzo-soprano: Vocal group between soprano and alto
- Alto: Second highest vocal group
- Contralto: Female alto
- Basso: Lowest vocal group
- Basso profondo: Deep bass voice
- Falsetto: High male voice group
- Tempo: Speed of the music
- Largo: Slow and stately
- Larghetto: A bit faster than largo
- Lento: Slow
- Adagio: Slow, but still not as slow as the slowest
- Andante: Moderately slow
- Moderato: Moderate
- Allegro: Somewhat fast
- Presto: Quite fast
- Prestissimo: As quickly as possible
- Accelerando: To quicken
- Allargando: To slow down
- Tenuto: To hold a single note
- Crescendo: Become louder
- Decrescendo: Become softer
- Forte: Loud
- Fortissimo: Very loud
- Piano: Soft
- Pianissmo: Very soft
- Mezzo piano: Somewhat soft
- Animato: Animated
- Brillante: Brilliant
- Con amore: With love
- Con fuoco: In a fiery manner
- Con brio: With spirit
- Dolce: Sweet
- Grazioso: With charm
- Sotto: Subdued
- Vivace: Up-tempo
- Poco: A little
- Poco a poco: Little by little
- Ma non troppo: But not too much
- Attacca: Go immediately into the next section without stopping
- Cambiare: A change
- Basso continuo: Continuous accompaniment by a bass
- Chiuso: Horn to be muted by hand
- Prima donna: The leading female
- Primo uomo: The leading male
- Comprimario: Supporting role
- Bel canto: Fine singing, beautiful voice
- Bravo: A congratulations. Brava is traditionally used for females, while bravo is traditionall used for males.
- Maestro: Music teacher, conductor, composer
If you are a music student, professional musician, or just someone who frequently dabbles in the field of vocals and instrumentals, think about how important each of these words are to the discipline. Using the Italian form allows the directions to be given in a quicker and more clear manner.