Theory musical words and symbols

Dynamic and articulation marks

Grade 1
• Pianissimo - very softly
• Piano - softly
• Mezzo piano - medium soft
• Mezzo forte - medium loud
• Forte - loudly
• Fortissimo - very loudly
• Crescendo - increasing loudness
• Diminuendo - decreasing loudness
• Legato - smoothly
• Accents
• Slurs
• Staccato

Grade 2 additional terms

• Decrescendo - decreasing loudness
• Tenuto - sustain note for its full length
• Phrase marks

Grade 3 adddional terms

• Marcato - accented
• Semi-staccato - halfway between legato and staccato

Grade 4 additional terms

• Fortepiano - sudden change, loud then immediately soft
• Sforzando - played with a strong initial accent

Grade 5 additional terms

• Sotto voce - lowering volume for emphasis (hushed tonal quality)
• Una corda - reduce sound, depress soft pedal in piano
• Pedal signs for piano

Tempo, expression marks and other signs

Grade 1
• Andante - moderately slow
• Allegro - fast and energetic
• Moderato - moderately fast
• Ritenuto - immediate reduction of speed
• Repeat marks

Grade 2 additional terms

• Adagio - slowly
• Allegretto - moderately fast (faster than andante but slower than
allegro)
• Cantabile - in a singing manner
• Espressivo - with expression
• Grazioso - gracefully
• Molto - very
• Vivace - brisk, lively tempo
• Octave signs
• Pause mark (fermata)
• Metronome marks
• First and second time bars

Grade 3 additional terms

• Al, alla - like
• A tempo - in time or at the speed that the piece started
 • Con - with
• Da capo al Fine - go back to beginning and play until it says “Fine”
(the end)
• E, ed - and
• Ma - but
• Vivo - lively
• Meno - less
• Mosso, moto - movement
• Non - not
• Poco - little
• Più - more
• Leggiero - lightly
• Dolce - sweetly
• Marziale - march-like
• Tranquillo - calmly
• Down-bow
• Up-bow

Grade 4 additional terms

• Accelerando - gradual increase of tempo
• Animato - lively animated manner
• Assai - very
• Con moto - with movement
• Ben - well
• Brio - vigour/spirit
• Giocoso - joyful
• Largo - slow and broad
• L’istesso - played at same tempo as before
• Maestoso - stately, majestic, dignified
• Pesante - heavy and ponderous
• Primo - first or leading part in an ensemble
• Sempre - always/continuously
• Senza - without
• Simile - in a similar way
• Subito - immediately, suddenly
• Troppo - excessively/too much
• Ma non troppo - not too much

Grade 5 additional terms

• Agitato - in a restless/agitated manner
• Arpeggiando - playing an arpeggio
• Con forza - with force
• Energico - in a vigorous/energetic manner
• Grave - slow and solemn
• Larghetto - somewhat slow (not so slow as largo but slower than
andante)
• Appasionata - passionately
• Fuoco - fire, with force, burning passion
• Morendo - dying away, gradual softening of tone and slowing of movement
• Niente - fade away to nothing (little more than a whisper)
• Quasi - almost
• Risoluto - bold, firmly and decisively
• Rubato - rhythmic freedom/flexibility
• Scherzando - playful, merry, lighthearted
• Secondo - second part in a piece (lower part)
• Stringendo - played gradually faster, tempo slowly increases
• Tempo guisto - strict time, opposite of rubato