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- Accelerando (it.) - Gradually increasing the speed.
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- Adagio (it.) - Slowly. Also as a name for a piece written in that tempo.
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- Agitato - In an agitated, exited or restless style
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- Air - a tune, song or melody. Someteimes found in suites.
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- Alegria (it.) - Joyful flamenco dance from the province of cadiz.
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- Allargando (it.) - Growing broader, getting slower and louder.
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- Allegretto (it.) - Just a "little allegro", slower than allegro.
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- Allegro (it.) - Quick, fast, but not as fast as presto.
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- Allemande (it.) - German dance in 3/4 time, 16th/17th, rather slow.
Like a landler. Often the first dance in the classic suite.
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- Amoroso (it.) - Amorous, loving, affectionately.
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- Andante (it.) - Rahter slow, at a moderate pace.
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- Andantino (it.) - A little faster than andante.
(Originally it meant just the opposite, slower than andante, but is no more interpreted like that.)
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- Animato (it.) - Animated, with spirit, lively.
(Originally it meant just the opposite, slower than andante, but is no more interpreted like that.)
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- Aria (it.) - A melodic composition like an air, a song or a tune.
Originally for a single voice with or without accompaniment.
Often also an instrumental piece with a singable melody.
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- Arietta (it.) - A small aria or air.
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- Arpeggio (it.) -
In the Style of a harp. The notes of a chord are struck consecutively one after the other.
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- A tempo (it.) - In time, back to original tempo.
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- Aubade (fr.) - a morning music, the opposite of a serenade.
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- Barcarolle (fr.)/ Barcarola (it.) - Song in the style of the Venetian gondoliers.
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- Berceuse (fr.) - A cradle song, a lullaby.
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- Bolero - Spanish dance in 3/4 time, 19th century. Also known as Cachuca.
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- Bourree (fr.) - old french dance, quick, in double time, often part of suites of pieces
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- Brillante (fr./it.) - In a bright, sparkling, brilliant manner.
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- Cantilene (ger.) / Cantilena (it.) -
A ballad or light popular song.
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- Canzone (it.) -
A song or folk song.
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- Canconetta (it.) -
A little song or folk song.
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- Caprice (fr.) Capriccio (it.) Capricioso (it.) -
a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form.
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- Cavatina - A melody of a simple form. A song without a second part or a "Da Capo"
a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form.
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- Choro - A typical Brasilian music genre deriving from a mix of different european styles
like polka, Scottish, tango and havanaise. Melodies emphasizing 16th notes. Choro means "crying".
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- Courante (fr.) Corrente (it.) - From "running". Old french dance in AB-form and 3/2 time.
The second dance in the classic suite.
a humorous fanciful composition with a somewhat irregular form.
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- Crescendo (it.) - Gradually getting louder. Abreviated: cresc.
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- Cueca - Chilian dance written in 6/8 time with the accompaniment in 3/4 time.
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- Da Capo (it.) - The sign at the end of a piece saying to begin over from from the beginning. Abreviation: D.C.
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- Da Capo Al Fine (it.) - The sign at the end of a piece saying to begin over from from the beginning up to where it says "Fine".
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- Deciso (it.) - Decided, energetic, with firmness.
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- Delicato (it.) - Delicatly.
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- Diminuendo (it.) - Gradually getting softer. Abreviated: dim.
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- Divertimento (it.) - (1) A light composition, (1) A suite for instrument
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- Decrescendo (it.) - Gradually getting softer.
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- Dolce (it.) - Soft, sweetly.
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- Doloroso (it.) - Sorrowful, sadly.
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- Doppio movimento (it.) - Double the speed, twice as fast.
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- Entree (fr.) - an introduction, a march-like piece played during the entrance of a dancing group, or played before a ballet. Usually in 4/4 time.
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- Espressivo (it.) - With expression.
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- Etude (fr.) / Study - a usualy short composition meant to excercice some special difficulty or technique.
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- Fandango (span.) - lively spanish dance in tripple time, beginning slow and getting faster.
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- Fantasia (it.)/Fantasie (ger.)/Fantaisie (Fr.) - A compositions that is not in any of the regular forms.
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- Fine (it.) - The End. This is where to end a piece after a repeat or partial repeat.
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- Forte (it.) - Loud. Abreviated: f
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- Fortissimo (it.) - Very Loud. Abreviated: ff
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- Fortississimo (it.) - As loud as possible. Abreviated: fff
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- Fugue - A polyphonic composition with one or more short themes introduced first by a one voice
and repeated by other voices in turn. All this happening with hamonization ocoording to the rule of the counterpoint.
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- Furioso (it.) - Furiously, wildly.
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- Galop (fr.) - a lively round-dance in 2/4 time
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- Gavotte (fr.) - Frenche Dance in 4/4, 17th/18th century, still alive in the Bretagne, rather quick
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- Gigue (fr.) - (Jig) lively Scotisch or Irish dance in 6/8, 17th/18th century, often the last part in a suite (from english jig, Giga, Geige)
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- Grandioso(it.) - Grand, noble, pompous.
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- Grave (fr.) - Slow (the slowest tempo in music) or deep in pitch
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- Grazioso (it.) - In a graceful style.
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- Hornpipe - An old english dance in a lively tempo written in triple and later also in quadruple time.
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- Landler (ger.) - A dance in 3/4 or 3/8 time and lively and graceful character. Popular among Styrian peasants.
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- Larghetto (it.) - Rather slow, but not as slow als largo
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- Largo (it.) - very slow, broadly.
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- Legato (it.) - In a smooth, connected manner. Opposite of staccato
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- Lento (it.) - Slow
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- Maestoso(it.) - Majestic, stately, with dignity.
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- Marcato(it.) - With emphasis.
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- Maxixe - A Brazilian dance first introduced in Paris in 1912. It is in 2/4 time of rapid tempo with a slight syncopation.
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- Mazurka - A lively Polish dance in 3/8 or 3/4
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- Meno mosso (it.) - Less movement, slower.
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- Menuet / Minuet (fr.) - Old french dance, in triple time, 17th/18th century, (from menu pas - small step)
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- Mezzo forte (it.) - Half loud, medium loud. Abreviated: mf
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- Mezzo piano (it.) - Half soft, medium softly. Abreviated: mp
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- Milonga (it.) - 1.the peppy, cheerful dance milonga as part of the tango; 2.the 'milonga campera' or 'milonga surena', an Argentinian folk music form, often performed just by a singer with a guitar, and of very clear hispanic influence. The Milonga rhythm is characterized through the devision of the 4/4 time in 3+3+2.
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- Moderato - Moderately, in a moderate time.
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- Modinha - Brasilan dance in a sentimantal mood, Brasilian love song.
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- Molto (it.) - Much, very much.
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- Moerendo (it.) - Dying away, fading.
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- Musette(fr.) - (1) A small bagpipe or (2) a melody or dance written over a ground note to imitate a the sound of a bagpipe
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- Passepied (fr.) - French dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time, sometimes in the German Suites.
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- Passionato (it.) - With passion, with fevor.
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- Partita (it) - A Suite.
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- Pavane - Slow solemn dance in duple (or sometimes triple) time, of Spanish origin; generally in three sections, each one repeated.
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- Pianissimo (it.) - Very softly. Abreviated: pp
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- Pianississimo (it.) - As softly as possible. Abreviated: ppp
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- Piano (it.) - Softly. Abreviated: p
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- Piu mosso, piu moto (it) - More motion, quicker.
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- Polacca / Polonaise (fr.) - A Polish dance in moderate 3/4 time reapearting different short motives.
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- Polka - A dance in 2/4 time coming from Bohemia.
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- Prelude (it) - A piece to be played as an introduction or opening piece but often also a single romantic piece, following no sepcific form.
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- Presto (it) - Rapidly, very fast, faster than vivace
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- Prestissimo (it) - As fast as possible.
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- Quadrille (fr.) - French dance
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- Rallentando (it.) - Getting gradually slower.
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- Ritardando (it.) - Getting gradually slower.
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- Ritenuto (it.) - Detained, held back, slowed down.
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- Romance (fr.)/ Romanza (it.) / Romanze (ger.)- Romantic, sentimental melody.
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- Rondo - from the french "rondeau". A piece where a main theme reappears in alteration with contrasting other themes.
Most often in the form of ABABA or more modern ABACAB and coda.
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- Sarabande (it.) - A dance of spanish origin in 3/4 or 3/2 time. Often part of old suites. It has a stady pace and mostly two parts.
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- Serenade (fr.) - An evening music. A compostion for use in the open air at night.
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- Siciliano (it.) Sicilienne (fr.) - - a soft, slow peasant dance in 6/8 or 12/8 time, often in a minor key. Rather similar to a Pastorale, usually in ABA form. It usually has a melody in dotted rhythms, with a broken chord accompaniment.
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- Sonata (it.) - A composition for one or two instruments with several movements, each following specific forms and charachteristics.
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- Sonatina (it.) / Sonatine (fr.)- A short sonata, smaller, with less and shorter movements and the subjects not develloped at lenght.
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- Staccato (it.) - In a crisp, detached separated manner. Opposite of legato
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- Stringendo (it.) - hasting the movement, becoming faster, pressing.
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- Study / Etude - a usualy short composition meant to excercice some special difficulty or technique.
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- Suite (fr.) - A set or series of movements, each consisting of a dance form
(Allemande, Courante, Sarabande,
Gigue, Gavotte, Menuet,
Bourree, Passepied, etc.)
and all in the same key. Often preceded by a Prelude.
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- Tango - A dance originated in the streets and salons of Buenos Aires, Argentine. Its is characterised as very aspassionate.
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- Tarantella - A rapid italian dance (supposed to cure the bite of a tarantula).
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- Tempo (it.) - Time in the meaning of "rate of movement".
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- Toccata (it.) - Brilliant, prelude-like composition.
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- Tranquillo (it.) - Tranquilly, quietly, calmly.
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- Valse(fr.) - See Waltz
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- Variations - A theme repeated several times, each time with modifications in time, melody or harmony,
but still staying recognisable as the original theme.
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- Vivace (it.) - Lively, very fast.
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- Waltz / Valse (fr.) / Valce (it.) / Walzer (ger.)-
A dance form said to originate in Bohemia or the German landler.
It´s in 3/4 time. "Classical" waltzes are compositions in waltz-form but not for dancing.
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