Essential Italian Dictionary for

Musicians

Molto Helpful Tips

Reading a classical music score can make you feel like you’ve woken up in another
country—tempos, phrasing indications, and other musical directions are rarely written in
English. They are most often in Italian, French, or German, because those are major
countries where classical music originated and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries,
and the tradition has carried on to this day. Of those three languages, Italian is by far the
most commonly used in music, even in scores by composers who were not from Italy.
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Print out this Italian dictionary in your instrument case or music bag as a helpful cheat-
sheet to refer to when you’re lost in translation. Keep in mind that you’ll encounter the
general terms listed below combined with words describing tempo and meter, or with words
describing character and phrasing—for example, con fuoco (with fire), allegro assai (very
fast), or poco ritardando (slowing down slightly).
Buona fortuna!

General Terms
poco a poco little by little
assai, molto very
con with
meno less
non troppo not too much
più more
poco a little
quasi almost

Tempo and Meter

a témpo in the original tempo
accelerando gradually speeding up
alla breve half note gets the beat; cut time
allargando broadening; combination of ritardando and crescendo
allegro,animato fast, lively
lento slowly
l’istesso tempo beat remains constant
mosso motion (e.g., “piu mosso” or “meno mosso”)
rallentando, slowing down
ritardando gradually
ritenuto slow down suddenly
rubato hold back or speed up the tempo at will
stringendo pressing forward
tempo giusto in strict tempo (non-rubato)

Character and Phrasing

a capriccio capriciously
agitato in an agitated way, with excitement
bravura boldly
brio brilliant, spirited
cantabile in singing style
dolce gently, sweetly
fuoco with fire
giocoso humorously
grazioso gracefully
legato smooth, connected
leggiero lightly
maestoso majestic, with grandeur
pastorale in a simple style
pesante heavy
scherzando playfully
sostenuto sustained
sotto voce with subdued voice
tranquillo peacefully