List of Italian musical terms used in English - wikipedia List of Italian musical terms used in English For a general, non-specific list of terms, see Musical terminology. This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2017 ) Many musical terms are in Italian, because many of the most important early composers from the Renaissance to the Baroque period were Italian, and that period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time. ( See also sheet music. ) Here are some of these expressions : Contents 1 Musical forms 2 Musical instruments 3 Voices 4 Tempo 5 Dynamics -- volume 6 Moods 7 Musical expression ( general ) 8 Patterns within the musical score 9 Directions 10 Techniques 11 Roles 12 Criticism 13 Musical direction and staging 14 See also 15 External links Musical forms Italian term Literal translation Definition A cappella in chapel style Sung with no ( instrumental ) accompaniment, has lots of harmonizing Aria air Piece of music, usually for a singer Aria di sorbetto sorbet air A lesser aria within an opera Arietta little air A short or light aria Arioso airy A type of solo vocal piece during an opera or operetta Ballabile danceable ( song ) to be danced to Battaglia battle An instrumental or vocal piece suggesting a battle Bergamasca from Bergamo A peasant dance from Bergamo Burletta a little joke A light comic or farcical opera Cabaletta from copola ( couplet ) A two - part musical form Cadenza falling A florid solo at the end of a performance Cantata sung A piece for orchestra and singers Capriccio caprice A lively piece, free in form, often used to show musical skill Cavatina small instrumental tone A simple melody or song Coda tail The end of a piece Concerto concert A work for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an orchestra Concertino little concert A short concerto ; the solo instrument in a concerto Concerto grosso big concert A Baroque form of concerto, with a group of solo instruments Da capo aria from the head aria A three - section musical form Dramma giocoso jocular drama A form of opera Dramma per musica drama for music Libretto Fantasia fantasy A musical composition or `` idea '' typified by improvisation Farsa farce A one - act comical opera festa teatrale theatrical party A genre of opera Fioritura flowery A highly embellised vocal line Intermedio intermediate A short connecting instrumental movement -- an intermezzo Intermezzo interval A short connecting instrumental movement Libretto little book A work containing the words to an opera, musical, or ballet Melodramma melodrama A style of opera Opera work A drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists Opera buffa humorous opera A comic opera Opera semiseria semi-serious opera A variety of opera Opera seria serious opera An opera with a serious, esp. classical theme Operetta little opera A variety of light opera Oratorio oratory Large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists Pasticcio pastiche A musical piece containing works by different composers Ripieno concerto padding concert A form of Baroque concerto with no solo parts Serenata Serenade A song or composition in someone 's honour. Originally, a musical greeting performed for a lover Soggetto cavato carved subject A musical cryptogram, using coded syllables as a basis for the composition Sonata sounded A composition for one or two instruments in sonata form Verismo realism A genre of operas with scenarios based on contemporary everyday life Musical instruments Piano ( forte ) soft - loud A keyboard instrument Viola viola, orig. Latin vitulari `` be joyful '' A medium - sized stringed instrument ( Violon ) cello Small violone ( violone means `` big viola '' ) A large stringed instrument Viola da gamba leg viola A stringed instrument held between the legs Viola da braccio arm viola A stringed instrument held in the arm, such as a violin or viola Viola d'amore love viola A tenor viol with no frets Tuba tube A large brass instrument Piccolo little A tiny woodwind instrument Sordun deaf, dull in sound An archaic double - reed wind instrument Timpani drums Large drums Cornetto little horn An old woodwind instrument Campana bell A bell used in an orchestra ; also campane `` bells '' Orchestra orchestra, orig. Greek orkesthai `` dance '' An ensemble of instruments Voices Soprano upper The highest vocal line Mezzo - soprano middle - upper Between soprano and alto Alto high Second - highest vocal line Contralto against high Alto, esp. a female alto Basso low Or `` bass ; '' the lowest vocal line Basso profondo deep and low A very deep bass voice Coloratura soprano colouring soprano A soprano specialised in complex, ornamented melody Soprano sfogato unlimited soprano A soprano who has extended her upper range beyond the usual range of a soprano Spinto soprano pushed soprano A soprano whose voice, while normally of lyric weight and fluidity, can be pushed to a more forceful weight Squillo ringing The resonant clarity of an operatic singer 's voice Tenore contraltino ' A tenor voice capable of a slightly higher range of sustainable notes than usual Tenore di grazia or ' ' ' Leggiero tenor ' ' ' ' A lightweight, flexible tenor voice Tessitura texture A singer 's comfortable range Falsetto little false A vocal register immediately above the modal voice range Falsettone ' Falsetto, sung using the usual techniques of modal voice register Castrato castrated A male singer, castrated so as to be able to sing soprano ( now sung by women, conventional countertenors, or sopranisti ) Musico musician Originally, a trained musician ; later, a castrato or female singer Spinto pushed A forceful voice, between the lyric and dramatic in weight Passaggio crossing A vocal range Tempo Tempo time The speed of music e.g. 120 BPM Grave solemn Slow and solemn, slower than largo Largo broad Slow and dignified Larghetto a little bit broad Not as slow as largo Lentando slowing Becoming slower Lento slow Slow Tardo slow Slow Adagio ad agio, at ease Slow, but not as slow as largo Adagietto little adagio Faster than adagio ; or a short adagio composition Andante at a walking pace Moderately slow, flowing along Andantino slightly faster than andante slightly faster than andante Moderato moderately At a moderate speed Allegretto a little bit joyful Slightly slower than allegro Largamente broadly Slow and dignified Mosso moved Agitated Allegro joyful ; lively and fast Moderately fast Sostenuto sustained A slowing of tempo, often accompanied by legato playing Fermata stopped Marks a note to be held or sustained Presto ready Very fast Prestissimo very ready Very very fast, as fast as possible Accelerando accelerating Accelerating Affrettando becoming hurried Accelerating Allargando slowing and broadening Slowing down and broadening, becoming more stately and majestic, possibly louder Ritardando slowing down Decelerating Rallentando becoming progressively slower Decelerating Rubato robbed Free flowing and exempt from steady rhythm Tenuto sustained Holding or sustaining a single note Accompagnato accompanied The accompaniment must follow the singer who can speed up or slow down at will Alla marcia as a march In strict tempo at a marching pace ( e.g. 120 bpm ) A tempo to time Return to previous tempo L'istesso tempo Same speed At the same speed Dynamics -- volume Calando quietening Becoming softer and slower Crescendo growing Becoming louder Decrescendo shrinking Becoming softer Diminuendo dwindling Becoming softer Forte strong Loud Fortissimo very strong Very loud Marcato marked A note played forcefully Mezzo forte half - strong Moderately loud Piano gentle Soft Pianissimo very gentle Very soft Mezzo piano half - gentle Moderately soft Sforzando strained Sharply accented Stentato in the manner of Stentor Loud, boisterous Tremolo trembling A rapid repetitive variation in the volume ( or pitch ) of a tone Messa di voce placing the voice A style of singing involving changing volume while holding a single note Moods Affettuoso with feeling Tenderly Agitato agitated Excited and fast Animato animated Animated Brillante brilliant Brilliant, bright Bruscamente brusquely Brusquely -- abruptly Cantabile singable In a singing style Colossale colossal In a fashion which suggests immensity Comodo convenient Comfortably, moderately Con amore with love With love Con fuoco with fire With fiery manner Con brio with bright brightly Con moto with movement With ( audible ) movement Con spirito with spirit With spirit Dolce sweetly Sweet Espressivo expressive Expressively Festoso happy With happiness Furioso furious With passion Grazioso graciously or gracefully With charm Lacrimoso teary Tearfully, sadly Maestoso majestic Stately Misterioso mysterious Mysteriously, secretively, enigmatic Pesante heavy Heavy, slowly, sadly Risoluto resolved Resolved, decisive Scherzando playfully Playfully Sotto subdued Subdued Semplicemente simply Simply Slancio passion Enthusiasm Vivace vivacious Up - tempo Musical expression ( general ) Molto very Used with other terms, such as molto allegro Assai very Used with other terms, such as allegro assai Più more Used with other terms, such as più mosso Poco little `` A little ''. Used with other terms, such as poco diminuendo poco a poco little by little `` little by little '', `` slowly but steadily ''. Used with other terms, such as poco a poco crescendo ma non tanto but not so much Used with other terms, such as adagio ma non tanto ma non troppo but not too much Used with other terms, such as allegro ma non troppo Meno less Used with other terms, such as meno mosso Subito suddenly, quickly Used with other terms, such as subito fortissimo Patterns within the musical score Lacuna gap A silent pause in a piece of music Ossia alternatively A secondary passage of music which may be played in place of the original Ostinato stubborn A repeated motif or phrase in a piece of music Ritornello little return A recurring passage in a piece of Baroque music Segue it follows A smooth movement from one passage to another with no pause Stretto tightened In a fugue, the repeating of a motif by a second voice before the first rendition is completed Pensato thought A composed imaginary note Directions Attacca attach Proceed to the next section without pause Cambiare change Any change, such as to a new instrument Da Capo ( al fine ) from the beginning ( to the end ) Abbreviated as D.C., informs the performer to go back to the beginning ( capo ) ( finishing where the part is marked fine ) Dal Segno from the sign Abbreviated as D.S., informs the performer to repeat a specific section marked by a sign ( segno ) Divisi divided Instructs one section to divide into two or more separate sections, each playing a separate part. Often these separate parts are written on the same staff. Oppure otherwise Informs the player of alternative ways to play a passage. See Ossia. solo alone A piece or performance to be played by a single musician Techniques Altissimo very high Very high Arpeggio harp - like A chord with the notes spread out in time ( rather than sounded simultaneously ) Acciaccatura crushing An extra, very fast grace note Appoggiatura leaning A type of ornament that creates a `` yearning '' effect Basso continuo continuous bass Continuous bass accompaniment by chordal instrument ( s ) and bass instrument ( s ) ( see figured bass. ) A bocca chiusa mouth closed Wordless humming in a choral piece Chiuso closed Calls for a horn to be muted by hand Coll'arco with the bow Cancels col legno and pizzicato ( in a string passage, arco is usually expected, as it is the `` default '' approach, and is not written except at the end of col legno or pizzicato passages. ) Colla voce with the voice A note to accompanists to play with ( in time with ) the singer 's text, especially when slowing for textual effect Col legno with the wood Calls for a bowed instrument 's strings to be struck with the wood of the bow rather having the hair of the bow drawn over the strings Coloratura coloration Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line Glissando glide A sweeping glide from one pitch to another used for dramatic effect Legato tied together A series of notes played with a smooth connection between them Martellato hammered Notes are strongly accented and detached Con sordino with mute Calls for mute to be applied, esp. to string instruments. Senza sordino without mute Calls for mute to be removed, esp. from string instruments. Pizzicato plucked Calls for a bowed instrument to be plucked with the fingers Portamento carrying A sliding of pitch between two notes Portato carried A style of playing between staccato and legato Sforzando using force Played with strong, marked emphasis Coperti covered Of a drum, muted with a cloth Una corda one string With the soft pedal, on a piano Due corde two strings With the soft pedal, on a piano. For why both terms exist, see piano. Tre corde or tutte le corde Three strings or all the strings Cancels an una corda Spiccato separated Playing a stringed instrument by bouncing the bow lightly on the strings Tutti all A direction for the entire ensemble to play or sing, rather than just a soloist or principal player staccatissimo very detached Forcefully exaggerated staccato Staccato detached A form of musical articulation in which notes are distinct and separated from each other by short gaps Scordatura mistuning Alternate tuning ( of strings ) vibrato vibrating A rapid repetitive variation or undulation in the pitch of a tone Roles Prima donna first lady Leading female role Primo uomo first man Leading male role Banda band A small music ensemble used as a supplement to the orchestra in an opera Comprimario con primario, with the first A supporting role Concertino little concert The smaller, more virtuosic, group of musicians in a concerto grosso Coro choir An ensemble of singers Diva female deity A leading female singer Ripieno filling or stuffing The larger group of musicians in a concerto grosso Convenienze conveniences The rules relating to the ranking of singers in opera Criticism Bel canto beautiful voice Any fine singing, esp. that popular in 18th - and 19th - century Italian opera Bravura skill A performance of extraordinary virtuosity Bravo skillful A cry of congratulation to a male singer or performer. Fem. brava, pl. bravi, fem.pl. brave. The use of ! after `` Bravo / a / i / e ( ! ) '' strongly emphasizes the written expression. Musical direction and staging Maestro Master, teacher Conductor, music director, music teacher, also composer and other eminent musicians and singers Maestro sostituto Deputy master Assistant conductor Maestro collaboratore Collaborating master Assistant conductor Maestro suggeritore Master prompter Prompter Stagione season A variety of formal organisation of players and crew in the staging of operas See also Musical terminology External links 8notes glossary Pronounce It Right : Italian musical terms Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Italian_musical_terms_used_in_English&oldid=832466051 '' Categories : Musical terminology Lists of English words of Italian origin Italian words and phrases Glossaries of music Hidden categories : Articles lacking sources from October 2017 All articles lacking sources All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Nederlands Português Suomi Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 26 March 2018, at 05 : 12. 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Question: italian word for happy in music quick tempo
Answer: Festoso