Italian

Phonetics

Description and meaning

a Piacere

a peeehchehreh

at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly

agitato

ahzjeetahtaw

agitated

amabile

ahmahbeeleh

tender (gentle)

anima

ahneemah

with feeling

appassionato

ahpahsseeawnahtaw

passionately

assai

ahssahee

very

ben

behn

well; in ben marcato ("well marked")

bravissimo

brahveeseemaw

very well done! excellent!; superlative of bravo]

bravo

brahvaw

To express approval

calmato

kahlmahtaw

Calmed

capo

cahpaw

head; i.e. the beginning (of a movement, normally). 2. a key-changing device for guitars and banjos;

colaparte

cawlahpahrteh

with the soloist

Coloratura

kawlawrahtoorah

voice the ability to sing florid passages, especially trills and runs

Con

kawn

with ie con espressione - with expression

contento

cawntehntaw

happy; "sono contento"; express happiness

decrescendo

dehkrehssehndaw

With gradually diminishing force or loudness

dell'

dehl

of the, from the - del segno - from the sign

diminuendo

deemeenyooehndaw

dwindling; i.e., with gradually decreasing volume (same as decrescendo)

dolce

dawlcheh

sweet

dolore

dawlawreh

pain, distress, sorow, grief

espresione

ehspresseeawneh

expressively

felicita

fehleecheetah

happiness

Fermanta

fehrmahntah

the pause sign

fine

feeneh

the end, often in phrases like al fine (to the end)

forte

fawrteh

loud

fortissimo

fawteeseemaw

very loud

fuoco

fooawkaw

fire, passion

furia

fooreeah

fury

furioso

fooreeawsaw

in a frantically rushing manner

grazia

grahtzeeah

with grace

impeto

eempehtaw

force, impetus

in

een

in the

l'acompagnamento

lahcawmpahnyahmehntaw

the accompanying (ment)

lamentoso

lahmehntawsaw

mournfully

Largetto

lahrgehtaw

somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo

leggiero

lehzjeeehraw

leggiermente or leggiadro: lightly, delicately (The different forms of this word, including leggierezza, "lightness",

Lento

lehntaw

slowly

marcarto

mahrkahrtaw

marked

mezza - mezzo

mehtzah (aw)

half (mezza voce - half voice; i.e., with subdued or moderated volume)

morendo

mawrehndaw

dying

mosso

mawsaw

moved, moving; used with a preceding piu or meno (see in this list), for faster (more moving) or slower (less moving) respectively

opera

awpehrah

A theatrical work combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance - strictly; the opera has no spoken dialogue

Pianino

peeahneenaw

small piano

pianissimo

peeahneeseemaw

very soft

piano

peeahnaw

soft

piu

peeoo

more; see mosso

pizzicato

peetseekahtaw

pinched, plucked; i.e., in music for bowed strings, plucked with the fingers

poco

pawkaw

little; - poco a poco: little by little

Polacca

pawlahkah

polonaise (Polish: polonez) It is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish."

precipitato

prehseepeetahtaw

precipitately - A headlong fall or rush

qua

kwah

here

Rabbia

rahbeeah

anger, rage, fury, wrath; like rabies

Recitativo

rehcheetahteevaw

declaimed in the rhythm of natural speech

Rinforzando

reenfawrzahndaw

a less common term for sforzando

ritardando

reetahrdahndaw

ritard., rit.: slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando

ritenuto

reetehnootaw

suddenly slower, held back (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando

scandalo

scahndahlawsaw

scandal

scandaloso

scahndahlawsaw

outragiously

sempre

sehmpreh

always

smorzando

smawtzahndaw

Growing gradually fainter and softer; dying away; morendo.

soave

sawahveh

gentle (sweet)

sono

sawnaw

be heard

sospirando

sawspeerahndaw

sighing

sostenuto

sawstehnootaw

sustained, lengthened

staccato

stahkahtaw

making each note brief and detached; the opposite of legato

subito

soobeetaw

quickly

tempo

tehmpaw

time; i.e., the overall speed of a piece of music

un

oon

a

venite

vehneeteh

come ye

vibrato

veebrahtaw

vibrating; i.e., a more or less rapidly repeated slight alteration in the pitch of a note

voce

vawcheh

voice

volti

vawltee

Turn, that is, turn over the leaf. (volti subito - tun over quickly)

volubilita

vawlawbeeleetah

faithlessness, falseness, fickleness,

© KHMS 2012