Declaration of Independence day Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Declaration of Independence day - Term Paper Example The independence day of the United States is celebrated on July, 4 as approved by the congress. The interpretation as well as sources of the declaration has been subject of scholarly evaluation and request even as the original version is displayed at the national archives in Washington, D.C. (Bond, September, 1). The most important and dominant theme of the document is, perhaps, the founding fathers’ vision and dream for the country as a democratic powerhouse in the global scene. True to their vision, the country has worked on many fronts to make a nation based on outlined democratic principles such as equality, right to life, liberty and a chance to exercise the pursuit of happiness (Armitage 22). The declaration highlights the American orientation to democratic foundations. It is clear that Jefferson represented the will of the American leadership. The retention of the resolve to protect â€Å"self-evident† principles of human life and social health, democracy was cultivated in the country’s long journey to success. The right to life is a fundamental truth in the American dream and as demonstrated in various national policies that ensure the protection of life, the country has made tremendous steps in establishing institutions to protect life. Provision of important li fe protection services offered by the federal government in relation to such subjects as food, shelter, income and healthcare are illustrations of how the culture of life is protected to date (Armitage 22). In view of how liberty was envisioned and implemented to date, America has a long journey. Political liberty is perhaps one of the most celebrated principles in America and as envisioned in the Declaration of Independence, the country rose to set an enormous standard for others to emulate (Bond 3). Through model governance structures and an impressive track record for accommodation of divergent views, America borrows a lot from the

Cooperate Inquiry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cooperate Inquiry - Essay Example The total idea of cooperation inquiry is that research is made with people in contrast to traditional methods based on actions research made on people. The first step is in a research process is to find and formulate a feasible starting point. The main questions of the research are: What issue in practical experience is worth studying over a period of time Does it fit capabilities and do researchers have the resources Is there a fair chance researchers can get somewhere if they research this issue These are questions researchers needs to ask when beginning research. Cooperative inquiry begins with reflection upon such discrepancies and tries to save them from being forgotten in the maze of everyday work (Harwood 72). They become the focus for further development of the research process and for the generation of knowledge about that process. Such discrepancies need not always be negative and problematic for the researchers. Action research can also focus on trying out good ideas for improvements or on the further development of one's own strengths (Schon 43). Second step - action phase - is aimed to tests proposed actions and record expected outcomes. One possible way of testing our knowledge of a situation researchers want to improve and develop is to obtain additional information-perhaps by carrying out an observation or by interviewing other people involved. The whole inventory of data collection methods can be used for this purpose (Schratz and Walker 92). As researchers have seen, other people's views can provide starting points for our own reflection, helping to actuate tacit knowledge or to stimulate researchers to collect additional information. It is important to remain clear that such explanations are hypothetical, providing stimuli for research and development rather than replacing them. By introducing changes, trying out new actions, and observing their results, our view of the situation in which we find ourselves is often deepened. Researchers need to find a pattern in the complexities of the situation identified as the star ting point for research. First, researchers try to identify the most important individual elements of the situation, to distinguish them from less important elements, and describe them as vividly as possible. The main questions at this stage are: What is happening in this situation Which events, actions and features of the situation are important Which people are involved, and in what kind of activities (Smart 82). Phase three is a second action phase. When researchers formulate important individual elements of the practical theory, they should not restrict themselves to what happened, but also take account of the context. Cooperative inquiry does not take place in a laboratory in which the researcher controls most of the context. Their own actions are embedded in a framework of other people's interests and actions. Their research and development activities in turn have consequences for others. This stage usually involves people outside the group and the research (Reason. 2008). The aim of this stage is to generate new ideas and new experiences. The main questions at this stage are: Which other people are affected by my research and deve

Writing 100 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing 100 - Essay Example Modics analyzes arguments from different witnesses, which support the fact that the deceased woman was a smoker. Raynor’s appellate lawyers, Maureen McBride and James Sargent Jr., immediately filed an emergency appeal with the Superior Court. Their appeal indicated that they had new evidence from Joe Chapman. Chapman, a witness in court, argues that he eavesdropped Raynor telling DR. John Kelly, who was the expert witness, that the court judge (Paul Panepinto) had completely banned the mention of the woman who was in trial as a smoker. However, Kelly indicates in this article that he decided to come forward after learning about Raynor’s predicament in the inquirer. The author indicates that Chapman came forward after obtaining information from the inquirer, which indicated the sanctions that were imposed on Raynor. Joseph Chapman, supports the argument that Wilson was a smoker by indicating that he overheard Raynor talk about smoking to the doctor. Per curiam of the superior court indicated that the judges considered Chapman’s testimony. Panepinto accused Raynor of manipulating the testimony indicating that Raynor had changed her whole story. Plaintff’s lawyer, Mathew D’Annuzo, questioned the extended periods taken by Chapman to testify. He argued that two years was a very long time. D’Anozo supports this argument by indicating that he had noted the presence of Chapman in the court room. This happened when Kelly testified that Raynor was a smoker. Dr. John Kelly also supports the argument that the deceased woman was a smoker by indicating that she went to hospital complaining of short breath. The physicians conducted X-ray that showed a suspicious nodule. The doctors, however, failed to inform her about the nodule. The woman later died of Lung cancer. As a result of this, the author indicates that Panepinto banned any testimony that would be requested by Plaintiffs’ lawyers. Panepinto believed that the testimonies would divert the attention of

Management and Human Resource Development Essay Example for Free

Management and Human Resource Development Essay 1.Integration with organizational missions and goals According to Garavan (1991), integration into business planning in order to contribute to corporate goals and missions of the organization are very crucial. One of Human Resource Development’s functions is to help in formation of business strategies for the organization and it is seen as a responsive and reactive role for strategic human resource development (McCracken Wallace, 2000). Furthermore, the role of SHRD is to shape the organization strategy instead of simply supporting role. Another role of Human Resource Development is to implement or form the corporate strategy. These tasks require them to link the corporate strategy with the organization’s missions and goals. According to Legnick-Hall and Legnick-Hall (1988) and Butler (1988), besides integrating the corporate strategy with the organizational missions and goals, strategic human resource development also plays an important role in shaping and influencing the missions and goals (as stated in McCracken and Wallace, 2000). 2.Top management support  In strategic human resource development, top management support is very important in order to implement the corporate strategy. The corporate strategy that has been formed need to be led actively by the top management people rather than just simply supported by them (Harrison, 1997). Active leadership from the top management will help the managers to adopt strategic thinking in achieving the targeted goals (McCracken and Wallace, 2000). 3.Environmental scanning  In SHRD, environmental scanning is very important to develop the strategic planning. HRD professionals and others senior managers need to conduct the SWOT and PEST analysis. These analyses will help the organization to respond or react to any changes in the internal or external environment (Rainbird, 1995; Peery and Salem, 1993). However, environmental scanning alone is not enough because HRD terms and top management need to implement it (McCracken and Wallace, 2000). Level of Strategic Human Resource Development  The first level of contexts that are crucial in order to understand the contribution of strategic human resource development is global environment. By analyzing and understanding the global environment is very important for an organization in order to be more flexible. Being flexible helps an organization to control and respond quickly to its surrounding, especially the external environment. This level focuses on a multiplicity of external factors that explain the role of SHRD in crisis management and generate particular SHRD initiatives (Wang, Hutchins Garavan, 2009). There are three sets of component that must be understood in the context of global environment which are local conditions, national conditions and multinational conditions. Local conditions basically focus on laws and protocol. For example, the organization might need to devise emergency planning processes to tackle potential crisis regarding the safety and health law (Wang, Hutchins Garavan, 2009). Local conditions can be divided into two parts which are economic and political trends as well as industry characteristics. The organization must alert with the economic and political conditions within the country. For the industry characteristics, the organization must ensure that their products and services have its own uniqueness. They need to master the products and services very well where all information need to be in their fingertips. They also need to know the targeted audiences for every of the product and services provided. The national conditions which can be divided into four parts. The first part is technology change. The organization must provide adequate training to its employees to increase the productivity of the employees in operating the latest technology. Since technology is rapidly change, so the employees need to be trained from time to time. The second part is the characteristics of the labor market. An organization must be flexible in terms of planning about the resources of the organizations especially when it comes to human resources. The management needs to hire more expertise. The third set is national culture. The organization need to learn and understand about the culture in order to provided the right products and services. For example, the food industry in Malaysia, they need to ensure that most of the foods are halal in order to fit it with the Muslim culture. The last part is regarding the national HRD systems. Some countries use the â€Å"soft† interventions rather than the â€Å"hard† approaches such as codes and protocols (Wang, Hutchins Garavan, 2009). It may appear as a component of partnership planning between the government, employers and trade unions. The last set of components is the multinational conditions which are cross-culture difference and international laws and regulations. Cross-cultural differences such as cultural assumptions towards planning and risk may also operate by some organizations. According to Tierney,Lindell Perry (2001), Asian countries are slow to react to disasters and they do not understand the important of systems and processes to deal with these disasters. Meanwhile, according to Caudron (2002), global terrorist events and international criminal acts have alert the national government regarding the important of providing the security education and professional education of human resources involved in security management. Certain multinational corporations may also pose some policies on individual companies within the corporation’s (Wang, Hutchins Garavan, 2009).

The Auteur Theory Film Studies Essay

The Auteur Theory Film Studies Essay -The auteur theory, if defined as the ultimate foundation for a filmmakers vision, can be a rather unstable remark for one to give. Who in the beginning of film history declared that a director must adhere to a specific genre with a specific style? It seems, like anything else, that the reasoning behind this theory is for a person to find a way to make sense of it all. However, one could argue that a filmmaker has reasoning behind why they have chosen their career path in the first place, or what kind of themes they want to express to the public. No matter what the genre or screenplay, a filmmaker can become a true auteur if they exhibit the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73).   In this essay, I will argue that Andrew Sarriss definition of film auteurism, along with Jim Kitses and Peter Wollen redefinition of its traditional and structuralist conceptions, are displayed in M. Night Shyamalans The Happening (along with his other films) as an example of the filmmakers auteurism. Andrew Sarris assesses a filmmakers auteurism under three pieces of criteria: technical competence, personality evident through oeuvre (director as stylist), and beauty of interior meanings of films. Technical competence, as a notion of value, surfaces the idea that a badly directed or undirected film has no importance in a critical scale of values, but one can make interesting conversation about the subject, the script, the acting, the color, the photography, the editing, the music, the costumes, etc (Sarris 69). In an interview with CNN, Shyamalan insists that The Happening is the best B movie you will ever see, thats it. Thats what this is. With this information, Shyamalan lays out the foundation of the films technical competence in relation to his past films. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water were assumingly created to the best of Shyamalans artistic abilities. Shyamalan premeditated The Happening with the notion that it would not be displayed as one of his ideal aesthetic pieces of cinema. It has been widely known that Shyamalan has had direct influences from science-fiction shows like The Twilight Zone, therefore audiences should be able to suspend moments of realism because, premeditatedly, bizarre and unexplained scenes are going to occur. Its going to test your patience, imagination, and social pressure, meaning that it almost dares you to laugh at inexplicable moments of dialogue and scenarios, and while it would be easy to write them off as bad filmmaking, if more effort is put into discover whats really happening or whats trying to be displayed (Shyamalans B-movie approach) , the stronger the payoff will be. For example, the scene where Mark Wahlberg is talking to a plastic plant, pretty funny right? Sure, if you look at it from the standpoint that its just Mark Wahlberg talking to a plastic plant. But if you think about it abstractly, the scene is completely appropriate to the films narrative. After evacuating New York City, being dropped off in a random town in Pennsylvania, then running from an attacking environmental force thats never fully explained, isnt it crazy enough to think that after all this, a person might begin to lose a sense of normalcy? Why not talk to the plant? It cant hurt to try new approaches to a specific scenario in order to figure out what could be happening, no matter how crazy it makes you look from an outside perspective. Sarriss film auteur definition extends even further, to the filmmakers personality and its visible evidence throughout oeuvre (director as stylist). A director must exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style which serve as his signature. The way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a director thinks and feels (Sarris 69). With The Happening, there is clear evidence of Shyamalans personality. Since The Sixth Sense, he has been become known as the master of suspense. He never sells himself out to violence. Instead, he uses it as a tool to build towards a much more apocalyptic fear. The Happening is never explored from a large-scale angle like War of the Worlds, but rather the larger event that is taking place simultaneously merely peeks from the corners of the screen. Any filmmaker can physically blow things up so long as they have a decent budget. Instead, Shyamalan blows up our imagination. According to Sarris, the auteur theory must have a director with a specific style. Going along with Sarriss quote, the way Shyamalan uses violence in the film fits his personal and socially known filmmaking vision. For example, the scene where multiple bodies hang from hoses on trees is incredibly and meaningfully staged. As a passing car witnesses this, could you imagine sitting in that car and be thinking: What in the hell happened here that caused people to end up like this? Its so much scarier with scenes like this to leave the actual act of violence to the imagination because the imagination has no limits. Thats what makes this all the more horrifying. Shyamalan could have taken the lazy way out by going all Saw on us, producing over the top gore that has no purpose to the story. Theres a difference between horror and violence, and instead, Shyamalan seems to grasp this concept and use violence to enhance the story. He has shown this in every single one of his movies, even with The Happenings limitless R-rating. Sarriss third and final piece of criteria for assessing a directors auteurism is the beauty of the interior meaning behind a film. Sometimes a great deal of corn must be husked to yield a few kernels of internal meaning (Sarris 71). The post 9/11 atmosphere in our society still looms in the back of everyones mind. Shyamalan, instead of abusing this fear, induces it into interpersonal paranoia. The strangeness of each scene allows multiple scenarios of fear. The vibes coming off each character suggests that the events in The Happening are terrorist attacks. Why? Because its the first thing that enters everyones mind. The media has us so convinced that an act of terrorism is the only possible explanation of an attack on American soil that it has become the epitome of mass cultural fear. The standardization of mass culture (in this case, the media of mass culture) dictates the audiences reactions, telling them how to think and feel. Clement Greenberg, an American art critic of the 20th century argues that the Kitsch (German word meaning mass culture) associated in filmmaking has become extremely easy to notice. For example, a clichà ©d horror scene consists of objects jumping onto the screen after moments of eerie noises or silence (The Prom Night example). Formulaically, its the feeling that someone is going to jump out and scream a standardized horror clichà ©d line like boo! or gotcha! Shyamalan on the other hand, takes this persona and reverses it. Instead of forcing the audience into feeling a specific reaction, he allows them to think for themselves. Jim Kitses and Peter Wollen redefine the traditionalists and structuralist conceptions of auteurism in a simplistic manner that remains to this day, arguably, as an odyssey. Kitses claims that genre is to filmmaker as language is to speaker. The very foundation of meaning for an artist to work with is the roots in which they display the most comfort. Kitses explains that the meanings, characters, stories, and imagery come from the structure of the genre and the present culture in which the filmmaker is working within. Applying this to Shyamalans personal authorship, both Kitses and Wollen express their theories: In my view the term (auteur theory) describes a basic principle and a method, no more and no less (Kitses 89) and exhibit the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73). Shyamalan, in almost all of his films tackles big social themes, being mostly end of the world scenarios (Signs, The Happening) and/or socially known fears (The Village, The Sixth Sense). In Signs, Shyamalan takes a basic principle (an alien invasion towards planet earth) and applies his own basic method to it (the event is seen through the eyes of an American family trying to survive it). By adding his own layers of substance to Kitsess basic principle and method, Shyamalan ultimately creates his own personal authorship. Signs has the same basic principle as Steven Spielbergs War of the Worlds, but each director has their own vision towards it. Both Signs and War of the Worlds are about an alien invasion towards planet earth in which an American family tries to survive it, but unlike Spielberg, Shyamalan doesnt physically blow up the world, he enforces the imagination on the viewer and only implies physical destruction. Roger Eberts review of Signs furthers this argument: I will not even say whether aliens appear in the movie, because whether they do or not is beside the point. The purpose of the film is to evoke pure emotion through the use of skilled acting and direction, and particularly through the soundtrack. It is not just what we hear that is frightening. It is the way Shyamalan has us listening intensely when there is nothing to be heard. I cannot think of a movie where silence is scarier, and inaction is more disturbing (Roger Ebert). Kitses and Wollen have very similar opinions in the basic elements of the auteur. Kitses expresses that it involves a basic principle and a method, where Wollen argues that it exhibits the same thematic preoccupations. However, the process of getting the film to a concrete medium is where the two differ. Kitses compares genre to filmmaker as language is to speaker. When a speaker speaks a language, they may say it on their own terms, with different tones, dialects, expressions, emotions, speed, etc. therefore in translation to cinema, a filmmaker may express a genre their own way without the interference of an outside medium. While that it very much the case in many situations, the auteur must also face several realities, most evidently the wants and desires of the films financier (in other words, the studio) and the potential incidents that could destroy a films credibility. The director does not have full control of his work. This explains why the auteur theory involves a kind of decipherment, decryptment. A great many features of films analysed have to be dismissed as indecipherable because of noise from the producer, the cameraman or even the actors (Wollen 77). Audiences and critics can become subconsciously superstitious if one is not careful to consider the fact that films undergo realistic challenges like anything else. Shyamalan has experienced these heartaches just like any other filmmaker. In The Sixth Sense, his favorite scene (an alternate ending with an extended version of Bruce Williss wedding video speech) was cut from the film due to a studio decision. In Signs, Shyamalan was disappointed with his cinematographers (Tak Fujimoto) visual representation of the aliens. Furthermore, one must insist that Kitses wrote his analysis on the auteur theory before the Internet world affected the cinema. For example, the definitive twist in Shyamalans The Village was leaked online before its theatrical release date, ultimately allowing the entire world to access the films signature plot twist. This not only directly contributed to the films box-office disappointment, but also its initial critical failure, which discouraged the meaning of Shyamalans message. One could argue that The Sixth Sense would have suffered the same fate of The Village had the Internet been a primary resource and if the films ending was leaked online before its theatrical release in 1999. The structure of a movie is premeditated by an auteur, but a films outcome may have an end that does not justify the means. In a perfect filmmaking world, Kitsess theory would reign supreme on the idea that genre is to filmmaker as language is to speaker, but Wollen understands that things can happen beyond the control of an auteur. It simply means that it is inaccessible to criticism. We can merely record our momentary and subjective impressions (Wollen 77). Perhaps this is why Shyamalans films are becoming more appreciated as time goes on. One example of this is Unbreakable, which was initially a critical and box-office disappointment (in relation to The Sixth Sense) upon its release date in August of 2000, but over the years a cult following on DVD and VHS has sparked rumors of a potential sequel. Sarris, Kitses, and Wollens theories are visible in todays mainstream discussions. Shyamalans statement in the CNN interview stating, The Happening is the best B-movie ever is filled with Sarriss ideas of technical competence in the criteria for a films auteurism. Wollen is seen in Roger Eberts reviews on both Shyamalans Signs and The Happening. Ebert states in his Signs review that in a time when Hollywood mistakes volume for action, Shyamalan makes quiet films. In a time when incessant action is a style, he persuades us to play close attention to the smallest nuances (Roger Ebert). Every Shyamalan film since The Sixth Sense has had a summer release date. The filmmaker has an off-rhythmic beat in a year of Hollywood releases. M. Night Shyamalans The Happening is a movie that I find oddly touching. It is no doubt too thoughtful for the summer action season, but I appreciate the quietly realistic way Shyamalan finds to tell a story about the possible death of man (Roger Ebert). Personal taste aside, a theatrical release of a Shyamalan movie is always a movie event. In many ways, we know what to expect from his films. First and foremost (in accordance to mainstream logic), his box-office numbers are usually very successful (Lady in the Water is his only film that failed to produce a profit in its theatrical run). A Time Magazine interview has Shyamalan defending his financial success. Except for Pixar, I have made the four most successful original movies in a row of all time (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village). If youre not betting on me, then nobody should get money. Ive made profit a mathematical certainty. Im the safest bet you got. Behind his films financial successes are their other obvious components. The science-fiction genre is a must, his release dates are similar (theyve ranged no further in the summer season than June through August), and his characters all embody the struggles of interpersonal and emotional growth.   Through this mainstream discussion, an auteur (in this case, Shyamalan) exhibits the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73). Shyamalan, whether or not many believe he has lost his touch, is still a prime example of film auteurism. When watching one of his films, you always know you are watching a Shyamalan movie. It is clear with his setting (every one of his films is set in Philadelphia,) his vision (large scale events shown through a small-scale,) and his themes (the power of love, the fear of violence, and the importance of the imagination). His technical competence, personal evident throughout oeuvre, and internal meeting are all elements in his personal authorship in American cinema. Like anything else, only time has any real ability to create an understanding, in this case behind the man who was once called The Next Spielberg, the elements of his film auteurism, and the theorists who have timelessly argued the notion of the terms infinitely interpreted foundation.

The Beauty of Car Rides :: Personal Narrative

When I was six years old, I hated car rides. To a six year old, a car ride was the epitome of boredom. There was nothing to do on a car ride except sit there for hours watching the trees. I would get carsick every single time I was in my mom’s Volvo. If I wasn’t sick or bored, I was waiting painfully in the backseat for the next exit ramp so my mom could turn off the road for a bathroom break. My mom would have to bribe me with candy or some other special treat just to get me in a car everyday. Some six year olds were afraid of monsters and doctor’s visits; I was afraid of the car. About ten years later something happened, a change. When I finally got my driver’s license at age sixteen, I was no longer afraid of the once dreaded car ride.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first I did not know why or how it happened, I just was not afraid anymore. I did not get bored, I did not get sick, and I did not have to painfully wait to use the bathroom. What was once a time of fear and unease turned to a time of tranquility and delight. I was excited to drive my car, and I felt good while driving. Maybe it was because the music I was listening to calmed me. Perhaps it was the beautiful sights I saw outside my window. It could have been because it was a time when I got to leave my troubles behind me and relax. It may have been that I was driving the car rather someone else, or it could have been a combination of all of these things. All I knew was that I had a 35-minute drive to school everyday, and I enjoyed it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My drive to and from school everyday became a deep Emersonian experience. It was not so much that I was getting in touch with nature; it was that I was getting in touch with myself.

Glossary of Musical Terminology

Glossary of musical terminology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian (see also Italian musical terms used in English), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by â€Å"(Fr)† and â€Å"(Ger)†, respectively.Others are from languages such as Latin and Spanish. Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. The list can never be complete: some terms are common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from time to time. Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms here. For a list of terms used in jazz, country, rock, and o ther popular music genres, see the Glossary of jazz and popular musical terms. Contents| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z References  Ã‚   External links| A a, a (Fr): at, to, by, for, in, in the style of†¦ * a 2: see a due in this list * a battuta: return to normal tempo after a deviation; same as ‘a tempo' * abbandonatamente, con abbandono: free, relaxed * aber (Ger): but * a bene placito: up to the performer * a cappella: in the manner of singing in a chapel; i. e. , without instrumental accompaniment * accarezzevole: expressive and caressing * accelerando, accel. : accelerating; gradually increasing the tempo * accent: emphasize, make a particular part more important * accentato/accentuato: accented; with emphasis acceso: ignited, on fire * acciaccato: broken down, crushed; the sounding of the notes of a chord not quite simultaneously, but from bottom to top. * acciaccatura: crushing; i. e. , a very fast grace note that is â€Å"crushed† agains t the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure * accompagnato: accompanied; i. e. , with the accompaniment following the soloist, who may speed up or slow down at will * adagietto: rather slow * adagio: at ease; i. e. , play slowly * adagissimo: very, very slow ad libitum (commonly ad lib; Latin): at liberty; i. e. , the speed and manner of execution are left to the performer * a due: intended as a duet; for two voices or instruments; together; two instruments are to play in unison after a solo passage for one of the instruments * affannato, affannoso: anguished * affettuoso, affettuosamente, or affectueusement (Fr): with affect (that is, with emotion); see also con affetto * affrettando: hurrying, pressing onwards * agile: swiftly * agitato: agitated al, alla: to the, in the manner of (al before masculine nouns, alla before feminine) * alla breve: in cut-time; two beats per measure or the equivalent thereof * alla marcia: in the style of a march * allargando: broadeni ng, becoming a little slower each time * allegretto: a little lively, moderately fast * allegretto vivace: a moderately quick tempo * allegrezza: cheerfulness, joyfulness * allegro: cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as lively, fast * allegrissimo: very fast, though slower than presto all' ottava: â€Å"at the octave†, see ottava * als (Ger): than * alt (English) (also alt dom or altered dominant): a jazz term which instructs chord-playing musicians such as a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist to perform a dominant (V7) chord with altered upper extensions (e. g. , sharp 11th, flat 13th, etc. ). * altissimo: very high * alto: high; often refers to a particular range of voice, higher than a tenor but lower than a soprano * alzate sordini: lift or raise the mutes; i. e. , remove mutes * am Steg (Ger): at the bridge; i. . , playing a bowed string instrument near its bridge, which produces a heavier, stronger tone (see sul ponticello in this list) * amabile: amiable, pleasant * amoroso: loving * anacrusis: a note or notes that precede the first full bar; a pickup * andamento: used to refer to a fugue subject of above-average length * andante: at a walking pace; i. e. , at a moderate tempo * andantino: slightly faster than andante (but earlier it is sometimes used to mean slightly slower than andante) * angstlich (Ger. ): anxiously a niente: to nothing; an indication to make a diminuendo which fades to pppp * a nessuna cosa: to nothing; an indication to hold a fermata until it dies away (this only works with instruments which cannot sustain a note) * anima: feeling * animandosi: animated, lively * animato: animated, lively * antiphon: a liturgical or other composition consisting of choral responses, sometimes between two choirs; a passage of this nature forming part of another composition; a repeated passage in a psalm or other liturgical piece, similar to a refrain. 1] * apaise (Fr): calmed * a piacere: at pleasure; i. e. , the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly, for example in a cadenza * appassionato: passionately * appoggiatura also called a â€Å"leaning note†: one or more grace notes that take up some note value of the next full note. * a prima vista: Sight-read (lit. â€Å"at first sight†); i. e. , (to be) played or sung from written notation but without prior review of the written material * arco: the bow used for playing some string instrument; i. e. played with the bow, as opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction * arietta: a short aria * arioso: airy, or like an air (a melody); i. e. , in the manner of an aria; melodious * armonioso: harmoniously * arpeggio: like a harp; i. e. , the notes of the chords are to be played quickly one after another (usually ascending) instead of simultaneously. In music for piano, this is sometimes a solution in playing a wide-ranging chord whose notes cannot be played otherwise. Arpeggios are frequ ently used as an accompaniment.See also broken chord in this list. * arpeggiato: a way of playing a chord: starting with the lowest note, and with successively higher notes rapidly joining in. Sometimes the effect is reversed, so that the highest note is played first. * assai: very * assez (Fr): enough, sufficiently * a tempo: in time; i. e. , the performer should return to the main tempo of the piece (after an accelerando or ritardando, etc. ); also may be found in combination with other terms such as a tempo giusto (in strict time) or a tempo di menuetto (at the speed of a minuet) * attacca: attack or attach; go straight on; i. e. at the end of a movement, a direction to attach the next movement to the previous one, without a gap or pause * Ausdruck (Ger): expression * ausdrucksvoll/mit Ausdruck(Ger): expressively, with expression * avec (Fr): with or with another B * B: German for B flat (also in Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish and Croatian); H in German is B natural * barbar o: barbarous (notably used in Allegro barbaro by Bela Bartok) * Bartok pizzicato: a term which instructs string performers to play a pizzicato note to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that it snaps back percussively on the fingerboard. bass: the lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano); the lowest melodic line in a musical composition, often thought of as defining and supporting the harmony; in an orchestral context, the term usually refers to the double bass. * basso continuo: continuous bass; i. e. , a bass part played continuously throughout a piece to give harmonic structure, used especially in the Baroque period * battement (Fr. ): used in the 17th-century to refer to ornaments consisting of two adjacent notes, uch as trills or mordents * beat: (1) the pronounced rhythm of music; (2) one single stroke of a rhythmic accent * bellicoso: warlike, aggressive * ben or bene: well; in ben marcato (â€Å"well marked†) for example * bend: jazz term referring either to establishing a pitch, sliding down half a step and returning to the original pitch or sliding up half a step from the original note. * beschleunigte (Ger): accelerated, as in mit beschleunigter Geschwindigkeit, at an accelerated tempo * bewegt (Ger): moved, with speed binary: a musical form in two sections: AB * bird's eye: a slang term for fermata, which instructs the performer to hold a note or chord as long as they wish * bis (Lat): twice; i. e. , repeat the relevant action or passage * bisbigliando: whispering; i. e. , a special tremolo effect on the harp where a chord or note is rapidly repeated at a low volume * bocca chiusa: with closed mouth * bravura: boldness; as in con bravura, boldly * breit (Ger): broad * bridge: Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, also transition.Also the part of a stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument. * brillant e: brilliantly, with sparkle * brio: vigour; usually in con brio * brioso: vigorously (same as con brio) * broken chord: A chord in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less consistent sequence. They may follow singly one after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two, for example. See also arpeggio in this list, which as an accompaniment pattern may be seen as a kind of broken chord; see Alberti bass. bruscamente: brusquely C * cadenza: a solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, that is used to display the performer's technique, sometimes at considerable length * calando: falling away, or lowering; i. e. , getting slower and quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo * calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly * cambiare: to change; i. e. , any change, such as to a new instrument * canto:chorus; choral; chant * canon or kanon (Ger): a theme that is repeated and imitated and built upon by other instruments with a time delay , creating a layered effect; see Pachelbel's Canon. cantabile or cantando: in a singing style * capo: 1. Capo: a key-changing device for guitars and banjos; 2. head; i. e. the beginning (of a movement, normally). * capriccioso: capriciously, unpredictable, volatile * cedez (Fr): yield, give way * cesura or caesura (Latin form): break, stop; i. e. , a complete break in sound (sometimes nicknamed â€Å"railroad tracks† in reference to their appearance) * chiuso: closed; i. e. , muted by hand (for a horn, or similar instrument; but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the feminine form, in this list) * coda: a tail; i. e. a closing section appended to a movement * codetta: a small coda, but usually applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to a whole movement * col, colla: with the (col before a masculine noun, colla before a feminine noun); (see next for example) * colla parte: with the soloist; as an instruction in an orchestral score or part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo performer (usually for a short passage) * colla voce: with the voice; as an instruction in a choral music/opera score or orchestral part, it instructs the conductor or orchestral musician to follow the rhythm and tempo of a solo singer (usually for a short passage) * col legno: with the wood; i. e. , the strings (for example, of a violin) are to be struck with the wood of the bow, making a percussive sound; also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood * coloratura: coloration; i. e. , elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, or (especially) a soprano voice that is well-suited to such elaboration * colossale: tremendously col pugno: with the fist; i. e. , bang the piano with the fist * come prima: like the first (time); i. e. , as before, typically referring to an earlier tempo * come sopra: as above; i. e. , like the previous tempo (usually) * common time: the time signature 4/4: four beats per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. 4/4 is often written on the musical staff as . The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken circle; the full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4. * comodo (or, commonly but less correctly, commodo): comfortable; i. e. , at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc. con: with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amore (with tenderness); (see also col, colla, above) * con affetto: with affect (that is, with emotion) * con amore, or (in Spanish and sometimes in Italian) con amor: with love, tenderly * con anima: with feeling * con brio: with spirit, with vigour * con dolore: with sadness * con forza: with force * con (gran, molta) espressione: with (great, much) expression * con fuoco: with fire, in a fiery manner * con larghezza: with broadness; broadly * con moto: with motion * con somma passione: with great passion * con slancio: with enth usiasm * con spirito: with spirit; with feeling con sordina, or con sordine (plural): with a mute, or with mutes; several orchestral instruments can have their tone muted with wood, rubber, metal, or plastic devices (for string instruments, mutes are clipped to the bridge, and for brass instruments, mutes are inserted in the bell); compare senza sordina in this list (which instructs the musicians to remove their mutes); see also Sordino. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. * con sordino, or con sordini (plural) (incorrect Italian): see con sordina, above * con variazioni: with variations/changes conjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line that moves by step (intervals of a 2nd) rather in disjunct motion (by leap). * contralto: * contrapuntalism: see counterpoint * coperti (plural of coperto, which may also be seen): covered; i. e. , on a drum, muted with a cloth * crescendo: growing; i. e. , progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) * cuivre: brassy. Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to indicate a forced, rough tone. A note marked both stopped and loud will be cuivre automatically[1] * cut time: Same as the meter 2/2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. Notated and executed like common time (4/4), except with the beat lengths doubled. Indicated by . This comes from a literal cut of the symbol of common time.Thus, a quarter note in cut time is only half a beat long, and a measure has only two beats. See also alla breve. D * da capo: from the head; i. e. , from the beginning (see capo in this list) * D. S. : Dal Segno, from the sign () * D. S. al fine or dal segno al fine: from the sign to the end; i. e. , return to a place in the music designated by the sign and continue to the end of the piece * D. S. S. al coda or dal segno al coda: same as D. S. al coda, but with a double segno * D. S. S. al fine or dal segno al fi ne: from the double sign to the end; i. e. , return to place in the music designated by the double sign (see D. S. al coda) and continue to the end of the piece * deciso: decisively decelerando: slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando (same as ritardando or rallentando) * decrescendo or decresc. : same as diminuendo or dim. (see below) * deest: from the Latin deesse meaning absent; placed after a catalogue abbreviation to indicate that this particular work does not appear in it. [2] The plural,desunt is used when referring to several works. * delicatamente or delicato: delicately * detache: act of playing notes separately * devoto: religiously * diminuendo, dim. : dwindling; i. e. , with gradually decreasing volume (same as decrescendo) * disjunct: an adjective applied to a melodic line which moves by leap (intervals of more than a 2nd) as opposed to conjunct motion (by step) * dissonante: dissonant divisi or div. : divided; i. e. , in a part in which several musicians n ormally play exactly the same notes they are instead to split the playing of the written simultaneous notes among themselves. It is most often used for string instruments, since with them another means of execution is often possible. (The return from divisi is marked unisono: see in this list. ) * doit: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically upwards. * dolce: sweetly * dolcissimo: very sweetly * dolente: sorrowfully, plaintively * dolore: pain, distress, sorow, grief * doloroso: sorrowfully, plaintively * doppio movimento: twice as fast double stop: the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic percussion instrument or string instrument * downtempo: a slow, moody, or decreased tempo or played or done in such a tempo. It also refers to a genre of electronic music based on this (downtempo). * drammatico: dramatically * drop: jazz term referring to a note that slides to an indefinite pitch chromatically downwards. * Dur (Ger): major; u sed in key signatures as, for example, A-Dur (A major), B-Dur (B? major), or H-Dur (B major). (See also Moll (minor) in this list. ) * duolo: (Ital) grief * dumpf (Ger): dull * dynamics: the relative volume in the execution of a piece of music E * e (Ital), or ed (Ital – used before vowels): and eco: the Italian word for â€Å"echo†; an effect in which a group of notes is repeated, usually more softly, and perhaps at a different octave, to create an echo effect * ein wenig (Ger): a little * Empfindung (Ger): feeling * encore (Fr): again; i. e. , perform the relevant passage once more * en dehors (Fr): prominently * energico: energetic, strong * enfatico: emphatically * en pressant (Fr): hurrying forward * en retenant (Fr): slowing * eroico: heroically * espansivo: effusive; excessive in emotional expression; gushy. * espirando: expiring; i. e. , dying away * espressione: expressively * espressivo or espr. : expressively * estinto: extinct, extinguished; i. e. , as soft as possible, lifeless, barely audible * etwas (Ger): somewhat F facile: easily, without fuss * fall: jazz term describing a note of definite pitch sliding downwards to another note of definite pitch. * falsetto: vocal register above the normal voice * fermata: finished, closed; i. e. , a rest or note is to be held for a duration that is at the discretion of the performer or conductor (sometimes called bird's eye); a fermata at the end of a first or intermediate movement or section is usually moderately prolonged, but the final fermata of a symphony may be prolonged for twice its printed length or more for dramatic effect. * feroce: ferociously * feurig (Ger): fiery * festivamente: cheerfully, celebratory * fieramente: proudly fill (English): a jazz or rock term which instructs performers to improvise a scalar passage or riff to â€Å"fill in† the brief time between lyrical phrases, the lines of melody, or between two sections * fine: the end, often in phrases like al fine (t o the end) * flat: a symbol (? ) that lowers the pitch of a note by a semitone. The term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitone too low. * flautando (may also appear as flautendo): flutelike; used especially for string instruments to indicate a light, rapid bowing over the fingerboard * flebile: mournfully * focoso or fuocoso: fiery; i. e. , passionately * forte or f (usually): strong; i. e. , to be played or sung loudly * fortepiano or fp (usually): strong-gentle; i. e. , 1. loud, then immediately soft (see dynamics), or 2. n early pianoforte * fortissimo or ff: very loud (see note at pianissimo in this list) * fortississimo or fff: as loud as possible * forza  : musical force * forzando or fz: see sforzando in this list * freddo: cold(ly); hence depressive, unemotional * fresco: freshly * frohlich: lively, joyfully * fugue (Fr), fuga (Latin and Italia n): literally â€Å"flight†; hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. A short theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in others, with imitation and characteristic development as the piece progresses. * funebre: funeral; often seen as marcia funebre (funeral march), indicating a stately and plodding tempo. * fuoco: fire; con fuoco means with fire * furia: fury * furioso: furiously G * G. P. Grand Pause, General Pause; indicates to the performers that the entire ensemble has a rest of indeterminate length, often as a dramatic effect during a loud section * gaudioso: with joy * gemendo: groaningly * gentile: gently * geschwind (Ger): quickly * geteilt (Ger): See divisi * getragen (Ger): sustained * giocoso or gioioso: gaily * giusto: strictly, exactly, e. g. tempo giusto in strict time * glissando (simulated Italian[citation needed]): a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale ex ecuted while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). See glissando for further information; and compare portamento in this list. * grandioso: grandly * grave: slowly and seriously * grazioso: gracefully gustoso: with happy emphasis and forcefulness H * H: German for B natural; B in German means B flat * Hauptstimme (Ger): main voice, chief part; i. e. , the contrapuntal line of primary importance, in opposition to Nebenstimme * hemiola (English, from Greek): the imposition of a pattern of rhythm or articulation other than that implied by the time signature; specifically, in triple time (for example in 3/4) the imposition of a duple pattern (as if the time signature were, for example, 2/4). See Syncopation. * hervortretend (Ger): prominent, pronounced * Homophony: A musical texture with one voice (or melody line) accompanied by chords; also used as an adjective (homophonic).Compare with polyphony, in which several voices or melody lines are performed at the same time. I * immer (Ger): always * imperioso: imperiously * impetuoso: impetuously * improvvisando: with improvisation * improvvisato: improvised, or as if improvised * in altissimo: in the highest; i. e. , play or sing an octave higher * incalzando: getting faster and louder * innig: intimately, heartfelt * insistendo: insistently, deliberate * in modo di: in the art of, in the style of * intimo: intimately * intro: opening section * irato: angrily * -issimo: a suffix meaning ‘extremely', e. g. fortissimo or prestissimo * -issimamente: a suffix meaning ‘as†¦ as can be', e. g. leggerissimamente, meaning ‘as light as can be' J Jazz standard (or simply â€Å"standard†): a well-known composition from the jazz repertoire which is widely played and recorded. K * keyboardist (Eng)  : a musician who plays any instrument with a keyboard. In Classical music, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, pipe organ, harpsichord, and so on. In a jazz or pop ular music context, this may refer to instruments such as the piano, electric piano, synthesizer, Hammond organ, and so on. * kraftig (Ger): strongly * Klangfarbenmelodie (Ger): â€Å"tone-color-melody†, distribution of pitch or melody among instruments, varying timbre L * lacrimoso: tearfully; i. e. , sadly * laissez vibrer, l. v. Fr): allow the sound to continue, do not damp; used frequently in harp music, occasionally in piano or percussion. For percussion ; electric guitar, â€Å"let ring† is more common. [1] * lamentando: lamenting, mournfully * lamentoso: lamenting, mournfully * langsam (Ger): slowly * largamente: broadly; i. e. , slowly (same as largo) * larghetto: somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo * larghissimo: very slowly; slower than largo * largo: broadly; i. e. , slowly * leap (skip): a melodic interval greater than a major 2nd, as opposed to a step. Melodies which move by a leap are called â€Å"disjunct†. Octave leaps are not uncommon in flori d vocal music. * lebhaft (Ger): briskly, lively * legato: joined; i. e. smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation) * leggiero, leggiermente or leggiadro: lightly, delicately (The different forms of this word, including leggierezza, â€Å"lightness†, are properly spelled in Italian as legger- without the i. ) * leggierissimo: very lightly and delicately * lent (Fr): slowly * lentando: gradual slowing and softer * lentissimo: very slowly * lento: slowly * liberamente: freely * libero: free, freely * lilt: a jaunty rhythm * l'istesso: see lo stesso, below * loco: [in] place; i. e. , perform the notes at the pitch written, generally used to cancel an 8va or 8vb direction. In string music, also used to indicate return to normal playing position (see Playing the violin). 1] * long accent Hit hard and keep full value of note (>) * lontano: from a distance; distantly * lo stesso (or commonly, but ungrammatically, l'istesso): the same; applied to the manner of articulatio n, tempo, etc. * lo stesso tempo (or l'istesso tempo): the same tempo, despite changes of time signature * lugubre: lugubrious, mournful * luminoso: luminously * lunga: long (often applied to a fermata) * lusingando: coaxingly M * ma: but * ma non troppo: but not too much * maestoso: majestically, in a stately fashion * magico: magically * maggiore: the major key * magnifico: magnificent * main droite (French): [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD or m. d. * main gauche (French): [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MG or m. g. ) * malinconico: melancholic * mancando: dying away * mano destra: [played with the] right hand (abbreviation: MD or m. d. ) * mano sinistra: [played with the] left hand (abbreviation: MS or m. s. ) * marcatissimo: with much accentuation * marcato, marc. : marked; i. e. , with accentuation, execute every note as if it were to be accented * marcia: a march; alla marcia means in the manner of a march * martellato: hammered out * marziale: martia l, solemn and fierce * massig (German): moderately (also: ma? ig) * MD: see mano destra and main droite * melancolico: melancholic melisma: the technique of changing the note (pitch) of a syllable of text while it is being sung * measure (US): also â€Å"bar† the period of a musical piece that encompasses a complete cycle of the time signature, e. g. , in 4/4 time, a measure has four quarter note beats * medesimo tempo: same tempo, despite changes of time signature * medley: piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. * meno: less; see meno mosso, for example, less mosso * messa di voce: in singing, a controlled swell, i. e. crescendo then diminuendo, on a long held note, especially in Baroque music and in the bel canto period[1] * mesto: mournful, sad meter (or metre): the pattern of a music piece's rhythm of strong and weak beats * mezza voce: half voice; i. e. , with subdued or moderated volume * mezzo: half ; used in combinations like mezzo forte (mf), meaning moderately loud * mezzo forte: half loudly; i. e. , moderately loudly. See dynamics. * mezzo piano: half softly; i. e. , moderately softly. See dynamics. * mezzo-soprano: a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that of a soprano and that of an contralto. * MG: see main gauche * misterioso: mysteriously * mobile: flexible, changeable moderato: moderate; often combined with other terms, usually relating to tempo; for example, allegro moderato * modere (Fr): moderately * modesto: modest * modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key (tonic, or tonal center) to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. * Moll (German): minor; used in key signatures as, for example, a-Moll (A minor), b-Moll (B? minor), or h-Moll (B minor) (see also Dur (major) in this list) * molto: very * morendo: dying; i. e. , dying away in dynamics, and perhaps also in tempo * mosso: moved, moving; used with a preceding piu or meno (see in this list), for faster or slower respectively * MS: see mano sinistra moto: motion; usually seen as con moto, meaning with motion or quickly * movement: a section of a musical composition (such as a sonata or concerto) * munter (German): lively * Mussete (Fr) a dance or tune of a drone-bass character, originally played by a musette * muta [in†¦ ]: Change: either a change of instrument, e. g. flute to piccolo, horn in F to horn in Bb; or a change of tuning, e. g. guitar muta 6 in D. Note: does not mean â€Å"mute†, for which con sordina or con sordino is used. [1] Muta comes from the Italian verb mutare (to change into something). N * narrante: narratingly * natural: a symbol (? ) that cancels the effect of a sharp or a flat (see in this list) * naturale or nat. : natural; i. e. discontinue a special effect, such as col legno, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or playing in harmonics * N. C. : no chord, written in the chord row of music notation to show there is no chord being played, and no implied harmony * Nebenstimme (Ger): secondary part; i. e. , a secondary contrapuntal part, always occurring simultaneously with, and subsidiary to, the Hauptstimme * nicht (Ger): not * niente: â€Å"nothing†, barely audible, dying away * nobile or nobilmente: in a noble fashion * nocturne (Fr): a piece written for the night * notes inegales (Fr): unequal notes; a principally Baroque performance practice of applying long-short rhythms to pairs of notes written as equal; see also swung note * notturno: same as nocturne (see above) number opera: an opera consisting of â€Å"numbers,† e. g. arias, intermixed with recitative O * obbligato: required, indispensable * octave: interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. 12 sem itones equals an octave, so does the first and eighth (hence â€Å"oct†ave) note in a major or minor scale. * omaggio: homage, celebration * one-voice-per-part, or OVPP: the practice of using solo voices on each musical line or part in choral music. * ordinario, or ord. (It. ): in bowed string music, an indication to discontinue extended techniques such as sul ponticello, sul tasto or col legno, and return to normal playing. The same as â€Å"naturale†. organ trio: in jazz or rock, a group of three musicians which includes a Hammond organ player and two other instruments, often an electric guitar player and a drummer. * ossia or oppure: or instead; i. e. , according to some specified alternative way of performing a passage, which is marked with a footnote, additional small notes, or an additional staff * ostinato: obstinate, persistent; i. e. , a short musical pattern that is repeated throughout an entire composition or portion of a composition * ottava: octave; e. g. ottava bassa: an octave lower P * parlando or parlante: like speech, enunciated * Partitur (Ger): full orchestral score * passionato: passionately pastorale: in a pastoral style, peaceful and simple * pausa: rest * pedale or ped: In piano scores, this instructs the player to press the damper pedal to sustain the note or chord being played. The player may be instructed to release the pedal with an asterisk marking (*). In organ scores, it tells the organist that a section is to be performed on the bass pedalboard with the feet. * penseroso: thoughtfully, meditatively * perdendosi: dying away; decrease in dynamics, perhaps also in tempo * pesante: heavy, ponderous * peu a peu (Fr): little by little * pezzo: a composition * pianissimo or pp : very gently; i. e. , perform very softly, even softer than piano.This convention can be extended; the more ps that are written, the softer the composer wants the musician to play or sing, thus ppp (pianississimo) would be softer than pp. Dynamics in a piece should be interpreted relative to the other dynamics in the same piece. For example, pp should be executed as softly as possible, but if ppp is found later in the piece, pp should be markedly louder than ppp. More than three ps (ppp) or three fs (fff) are uncommon. * piano or p (usually): gently; i. e. , played or sung softly (see dynamics) * piano-vocal score: the same as a vocal score, a piano arrangement along with the vocal parts of an opera, cantata, or similar * piacevole: pleasant, agreeable * piangevole: plaintive * pietoso: pitiful, piteous * piu: more; see mosso for an example piuttosto: rather, somewhat; e. g. allegro piuttosto presto * pizzicato: pinched, plucked; i. e. , in music for bowed strings, plucked with the fingers as opposed to played with the bow; compare arco (in this list), which is inserted to cancel a pizzicato instruction * pochettino or poch. : very little * poco: a little, as in poco piu allegro (a little faster) * poco a poco: little by litt le * poetico: poetic discourse * poi: then, indicating a subsequent instruction in a sequence; diminuendo poi subito fortissimo, for example: getting softer then suddenly very loud * pomposo: pompous, ceremonious * portamento: carrying; i. e. , 1. enerally, sliding in pitch from one note to another, usually pausing just above or below the final pitch, then sliding quickly to that pitch. If no pause is executed, then it is a basic glissando; or 2. in piano music, an articulation between legato and staccato, like portato, in this list * portato or loure: carried; i. e. , non-legato, but not as detached as staccato (same as portamento [2], in this list) * posato: settled * potpourri or pot-pourri (Fr): potpourri (as used in other senses in English); i. e. , a kind of musical form structured as ABCDEF†¦ etc. ; the same as medley or, sometimes, fantasia * precipitato: precipitately prelude or prelude (Fr): a musical introduction to subsequent movements during the Baroque era (1600's /17th century). It can also be a movement in its own right, which was more common in the Romantic era (mid 1700s/18th century) * prestissimo: extremely quickly, as fast as possible * presto: very quickly * prima volta: the first time; for example prima volta senza accompagnamento (the first time without accompaniment) * primo or prima (the feminine form): first Q * quarter tone: Half of a semitone; a pitch division not used in most Western music notation, except in some contemporary art music or experimental music. Quarter tones are used in Western popular music forms such as jazz and blues and in a variety of non-Western musical cultures. quasi (Latin and Italian): as if, almost, e. g. quasi recitativo like a recitative in an opera, or quasi una fantasia like a fantasia R * rallentando or rall. : Broadening of the tempo (often not discernible from ritardando); progressively slower * rapido: fast * rapide (Fr): fast * rasch (Ger): fast * ravvivando: quicken pace * recitativo: recita tively; one voice without accompaniment * religioso: religiously * repente: suddenly * restez (Fr): stay; i. e. , remain on a note or string * retenu (Fr): hold back; same as the Italian ritenuto (see below) * ridicolosamente: humorously, inaccurate, and loosely * rinforzando (rf, or rinf. ): reinforced; i. e. emphasized; sometimes like a sudden crescendo, but often applied to a single note * risoluto: resolutely * rit. : an abbreviation for ritardando;[3] also an abbreviation for ritenuto[4] * ritardando, ritard. , rit. : slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando * ritenuto, riten. , rit. : suddenly slower, held back (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, apply to a single note) * ritmico: rhythmical * ritmo: rhythm, e. g. ritmo di # battute meaning a rhythm of # measures * ritornello  : a recurring passage for orchestra in the first or final movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus). * rolled chord: see arpeggiato in this list roulade (Fr): a rolling; i. e. , a florid vocal phrase * rondo: a musical form in which a certain section returns repeatedly, interspersed with other sections: ABACA is a typical structure or ABACABA * rubato: robbed; i. e. , flexible in tempo, applied to notes within a musical phrase for expressive effect * ruhig (Ger): peaceful * run: a rapid series of ascending or descending musical notes which are closely spaced in pitch forming a scale * ruvido: roughly S * saltando: bouncing the bow as in a staccato arpeggio, literally means â€Å"jumping† * sanft (Ger): gently * scatenato: unchained, wildly[5] * scherzando, scherzoso: playfully scherzo: a light, â€Å"joking† or playful musical form, originally and usually in fast triple metre, often replacing the minuet in the later Classical period and the Romantic period, in symphonies, sonatas, string quartets and the like; in the 19th century some scherzi were independent movements for piano, etc . * schleppen (Ger): to drag; usually nicht schleppen (â€Å"don't drag†), paired with nicht eilen (â€Å"don't hurry†) in Gustav Mahler's scores * schnell (Ger): fast * schneller (Ger): faster * schwungvoll (Ger): lively, swinging, bold, spirited * schwer (Ger): heavy * scordatura: out of tune; i. e. , an alternative tuning used for the strings of a string instrument * scorrendo, scorrevole: gliding from note to note secco, or sec (Fr): dry * segno: sign, usually Dal Segno (see above) â€Å"from the sign†, indicating a return to the point marked by * segue: carry on to the next section without a pause * sehr (Ger): very * semitone: the smallest pitch difference between notes (in most Western music) (e. g. , F–F#) * semplice: simply * sempre: always * senza: without * senza misura: without measure * senza sordina, or senza sordine (plural): without the mute; compare con sordina in this list; see also Sordino. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictl y correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music.In piano music (notably in Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata), senza sordini or senza sordina (or some variant) is sometimes used to mean keep the sustain pedal depressed, since the sustain pedal lifts the dampers off the strings, with the effect that all notes are sustained indefinitely. * serioso: seriously * sforzando or sfz: made loud; i. e. , a sudden strong accent * shake: a jazz term describing a trill between one note and its minor third; or, with brass instruments, between a note and its next overblown harmonic. * sharp: a symbol (? ) that raises the pitch of the note by a semitone. The term may also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing a note in which the intonation is an eighth or a quarter of a semitone too high in pitch. * short accent: Hit the note hard and short . (^) si (Fr): seventh note of the series ut, re, mi, f a, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh solmization. * siciliana: a Sicilian dance in 12/8 or 6/8 meter[6] * sign: see segno * silenzio: silence; i. e. , without reverberations * simile: similarly; i. e. , continue applying the preceding directive, whatever it was, to the following passage * sipario: curtain (stage) * slargando or slentando: becoming broader or slower (that is, becoming more largo or more lento) * smorzando or smorz. : extinguishing or dampening; usually interpreted as a drop in dynamics, and very often in tempo as well * soave: smoothly, gently * sopra: above * sognando: dreamily solo break: a jazz term that instructs a lead player or rhythm section member to play an improvised solo cadenza for one or two measures (sometimes abbreviated as â€Å"break†), without any accompaniment. The solo part is often played in a rhythmically free manner, until the player performs a pickup or lead-in line, at which time the band recommences playing in the original tempo. * solenne: s olemn * solo, plural soli: alone; i. e. , executed by a single instrument or voice. The instruction soli requires more than one player or singer; in a jazz big band this refers to an entire section playing in harmony. * sonata: a piece played as opposed to sung. * sonatina: a little sonata sonatine: a little sonata, used in some countries instead of sonatina * sonore: sonorous * sonoro: ringing * soprano: the highest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) * sordina, sordine (plural): a mute, or a damper in the case of the piano. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms sordino and sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. See also con sordina, senza sordina, in this list. * sordino: see sordina, above * sortita: a principal singer's first entrance in an opera * sospirando: sighing * sostenuto: sustained, lengthened * sotto voce: in an undertone i. e. quietly * spianato: smooth, even * spiccato: distinct, sepa rated; i. e. a way of playing the violin and other bowed instruments by bouncing the bow on the string, giving a characteristic staccato effect * spinto: literally â€Å"pushed† * spiritoso: spiritedly * staccato: making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato. In musical notation, a small dot under or over the head of the note indicates that it is to be articulated as staccato. * stanza: a verse of a song * stornello originally truly ‘improvised' now taken as ‘appearing to be improvised,' an Italian ‘folk' song, the style of which used for example by Puccini in certain of his operas. * strascinando or strascicante: indicating a passage should be played in a heavily slurred manner * strepitoso: noisy, forceful * stretto: tight, narrow; i. e. faster or hastening ahead; also, a passage in a fugue in which the contrapuntal texture is denser, with close overlapping entries of the subject in different voices; by extension, similar closely imitative p assages in other compositions * stringendo: gradually getting faster (literally, tightening, narrowing); i. e. , with a pressing forward or acceleration of the tempo (that is, becoming stretto, see preceding entry) * subito: suddenly (e. g. , subito pp, which instructs the player to suddenly drop to pianissimo as an effect) * sul E: â€Å"on E†, indicating a passage is to be played on the E string of a violin. Also seen: sul A, sul D, sul G, sul C, indicating a passage to be played on one of the other strings of a string instrument. * sul ponticello: on the bridge; i. e. in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) very near to the bridge, producing a characteristic glassy sound, which emphasizes the higher harmonics at the expense of the fundamental; the opposite of sul tasto * sul tasto: on the fingerboard; i. e. , in string playing, an indication to bow (or sometimes to pluck) over the fingerboard; the opposite of sul ponticello. Playing over the fingerb oard produces a warmer, gentler tone. * sur la touche (Fr): sul tasto * syncopation: a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of downbeat rhythm with emphasis on the sub-division or up-beat, e. g. in Ragtime music. T * tacet: silent; do not play tasto solo: ‘single key'; used on a continuo part to indicate that the notes should be played without harmony * tempo: time; i. e. , the overall speed of a piece of music * tempo di marcia: march tempo * tempo di sturb de neighbors[7] seen in Fats Waller's arrangement of Stardust * tempo di valse: waltz tempo * tempo giusto: in strict time * tempo primo, tempo uno, or tempo I (sometimes also written as tempo I ° or tempo 1ero): resume the original speed * tempo rubato, means â€Å"robbed time†; an expressive way of performing a rhythm; see rubato * teneramente: tenderly * tenerezza: tenderness * tenor: the second lowest of the standard four voice ranges (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) * tenuto: held; i. e. , touch on a n ote slightly longer than sual, but without generally altering the note's value * ternary: having three parts. In particular, referring to a three-part musical form with the parts represented by letters: ABA * tessitura: the ‘best' or most comfortable pitch range, generally used to identify the most prominent / common vocal range within a piece of music * Tierce de Picardie: see Picardy third * timbre: the quality of a musical tone that distinguishes voices and instruments * time: in a jazz or rock score, after a rubato or rallentendo section, the term â€Å"time† indicates that performers should return to tempo (this is equivalent to the term â€Å"a tempo†) * tosto: rapidly * tranquillo: calmly, peacefully * tremolo: shaking; i. e. a rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation between two or more notes (often an octave on the piano). String players perform tremolo with the bow by rapidly moving the bow while the arm is tense. It can also be intended (in accurately) to refer to vibrato, which is a slight undulation in pitch. It is notated by a strong diagonal bar across the note stem, or a detached bar for a set of notes (or stemless notes). * tre corde or tc (or sometimes inaccurately tre corda): three strings; i. e. , release the soft pedal of the piano (see una corda) * triplet (shown with a horizontal bracket and a ‘3'): Three notes in the place of two, used to subdivide a beat. * tronco, tronca: broken off, truncated troppo: too much; usually seen as non troppo, meaning moderately or, when combined with other terms, not too much, such as allegro [ma] non troppo (fast but not too fast) * tutti: all; all together, usually used in an orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or all of the voices come in at the same time, also seen in Baroque-era music where two instruments share the same copy of music, after one instrument has broken off to play a more advanced form: they both play together again at the point marked tutt i. See also: ripieno. U * un, uno, or una: one, as for example in the following entries * una corda: one string; i. e. , in piano music, depress the soft pedal, altering, and reducing the volume of, the sound. In some pianos, this literally results in the hammer striking one string rather than two or three. For most notes on modern instruments, in fact it results in striking two rather than three strings. ) Its counterpart, tre corde (three strings; see in this list), is the opposite: the soft pedal is to be released. * un poco: a little * unisono or unis (Fr): in unison; i. e. , several players in a group are to play exactly the same notes within their written part, as opposed to splitting simultaneous notes among themselves. Often used to mark the return from divisi (see in this list). * uptempo: a fast, lively, or increased tempo or played or done in such a tempo. [8] It is also used as an umbrella term for a quick-paced electronic music style. * ut (Fr): first note of the series ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, in fixed-doh solmization. V vagans: the fifth part in a motet, named so most probably because it had no specific range * vamp till cue: a jazz, fusion, and musical theatre term which instructs rhythm section members to repeat and vary a short ostinato passage, riff, or â€Å"groove† until the band leader or conductor instructs them to move onto the next section * veloce: with velocity * velocissimo: as quickly as possible; usually applied to a cadenza-like passage or run * vibrato: vibrating; i. e. , a more or less rapidly repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note, used to give a richer sound and as a means of expression. Often confused with tremolo, which refers either to a similar variation in the volume of a note, or to rapid repetition of a single note. via: away, out, off; as in via sordina or sordina via: ‘mute off' * vif (Fr): quickly, lively * vite (Fr): fast * vittorioso: victoriously * virtuoso: (noun or adjective) perform ing with exceptional ability, technique, or artistry * vivo: lively * vivace: very lively, up-tempo * vivacissimo: very lively * vocal score or piano-vocal score: a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano * vivamente: quickly and lively * voce: voice * volante: flying * V. S. (volti subito): turn suddenly; i. e. , turn the page quickly.While this indication is sometimes added by printers, it is more commonly indicated by orchestral members in pencil as a reminder to quickly turn to the next page. W * wenig (Ger): a little, not much * wolno (Polish): loose, slowly; found as a directive in The Elephant from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens Z * Zahlzeit (Ger): beat * zart (Ger): tender * Zartheit (Ger): tenderness * zartlich (Ger): tenderly * Zeichen (Ger): sign * Zeitma? , also spelled Zeitma ss (Ger): time-measure, i. e. , tempo * zelo, zeloso, zelosamente: zeal, zealous, zealously * ziehen (Ger): to draw out * ziemlich (Ger): fairly, quite, pretty, or rather * zitternd (Ger): trembling; i. e. , tremolando * zogernd (Ger): doubtful, delaying; i. e. rallentando * zuruckhalten (Ger): hold back See also | Music portal| References 1. ^ a b c d e f Collins Music Encyclopedia, 1959. 2. ^ About the word deest 3. ^ musicdictionary; Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary; American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition; Gardner Read, Music Notation, 2nd edition, p. 282. 4. ^ Dolmetsch Online, â€Å"Tempo†; Oxford American Dictionary; Collins English Dictionary. 5. ^ Carl Orff, Carmina Burana 6. ^ Definition of Siciliano at Dictionary. com 7. ^ Scivales, Riccardo (2005). Jazz Piano: The Left Hand. Ekay Music, Inc.. ISBN  1-929009-54-2. Retrieved 2011 April 16. 8. ^ â€Å"uptempo† at Oxford Dictionaries Online External links Interpretations of Jazz Band Literature, musical te rms used in jazz * Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary (contains audio samples) * Choral Conducting Terms * Classical musical terms * Musical Terms Dictionary Definitions [show] * v * t * eMusic| | Help improve this page What's this? ————————————————- Top of Form Did you find what you were looking for? 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