ZigZag Education House Style for Foreign Musical Terms

These conventions for foreign terms and terms of foreign origin are to be used both in musical scores and within the text of teaching resources.

For terms marked with a ☆, the use of either italics or non-italics is common, so don't apply house style if italicisation is used consistently.

Don't Italicise

Instruction and information (don't italicise)
Technique (don't italicise)
Names of musical symbols (don't italicise)
Forms, styles and genres (don't italicise)
Names of sections and movements (don't italicise)
Names of instruments, voices, instrumentalists and parts (don't italicise)
Miscellaneous (don't italicise)

Treat in the Same Way as the Word/s it Appears With

Other (e.g. prepositions) (treat in the same way as the word/s it appears with)

Expression (italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
8^va / 8^vb ^☆	Italian	play an octave higher/lower
ad libitum / ad lib	Latin	at choice, meaning that a passage may be played freely
affettuoso	Italian	tenderly
agitato	Italian	agitated
al / alla	Italian	to the, in the manner of
allargando	Italian	broadening (getting a little slower and, probably, louder)
amabile	Italian	amiable, pleasant
amore	Italian	love (amoroso – loving)
anima	Italian	soul, spirit
animando	Italian	becoming lively
animato	Italian	animated, lively
animé	French	animated, lively
appassionato	Italian	with passion
assai	Italian	very
assez	French	fairly, enough, sufficient
ausdruck	German	expression
ben	Italian	well
bewegt	German	with movement, agitated
breit	German	broad, expansive
brio	Italian	vigour
calando	Italian	getting softer, dying away
cantabile	Italian	in a singing style
cantando	Italian	singing
cédez	French	yield, relax the speed
come	Italian	as, similar to (come prima – as before; come sopra – as above)
comodo	Italian	convenient, comfortable
deciso	Italian	with determination
delicato	Italian	delicate
dolce	Italian	sweet, soft
dolente	Italian	sad, mournful
dolore	Italian	grief (doloroso – sorrowful)
douce	French	sweet
einfach	German	simple
en dehors	French	prominent (a direction to make a melody stand out)
energico	Italian	energetic
espressivo / express. / espr.	Italian	expressive
estinto	Italian	as soft as possible, lifeless
etwas	German	somewhat, rather
facile	Italian	easy
forza	Italian	force
fröhlich	German	cheerful, joyful
fuoco	Italian	fire; con fuoco: literally 'with fire'
giocoso	Italian	playful, merry
grazioso	Italian	graceful
immer	German	always
l'istesso	Italian	the same (l'istesso tempo – the same speed)
lacrimoso	Italian	sad
largamente	Italian	broadly
légèrement	French	light
leggiero	Italian	light, nimble
loco	Italian	at the normal pitch (used often to cancel an 8^va direction)
lunga	Italian	long (lunga pausa – long pause)
lusingando	Italian	coaxing, in a sweet and persuasive style
maestoso	Italian	majestic
marcato / marc.	Italian	emphatic, accented
marziale	Italian	in a military style
meno	Italian	less
mesto	Italian	sad
mezzo	Italian	half
misura	Italian	measure (alla misura – in strict time; senza misura – in free time)
moderato	Italian	moderately
moins	French	less
molto	Italian	very, much
morendo	Italian	dying away
mosso / moto	Italian	movement
niente	Italian	nothing
nobilmente	Italian	nobly
perdendosi	Italian	dying away
pesante	Italian	heavy
peu	French	little
piacevole	Italian	pleasant
piangevole	Italian	plaintive, in the style of a lament
più	Italian	more
plus	French	more
pochettino / poch.	Italian	rather little
poco	Italian	a little
possibile	Italian	possible (presto possibile – as fast as possible)
prima / primo	Italian	first
quasi	Italian	as if, resembling
retenu	French	held back (en retenant – holding back, slowing a little)
rinforzando / rf / rfz	Italian	reinforcing
risoluto	Italian	bold, strong
ritmico	Italian	rhythmically
ruhig	German	peaceful
scherzando / scherzoso	Italian	playful, joking
seconda / secondo	Italian	second
sehr	German	very
semplice	Italian	simple, plain
sempre	Italian	always
simile / sim.	Italian	in the same way
smorzando / smorz.	Italian	dying away in tone and speed
sonoro	Italian	resonant, with rich tone
sostenuto	Italian	sustained
subito	Italian	suddenly (often used with a dynamic marking, e.g. subito piano)
süss	German	sweet
tanto	Italian	so much
teneramente / tenerezza	Italian	tenderly, tenderness
tenuto	Italian	held
tranquillo	Italian	calm
traurig	German	sad
très	French	very
triste / tristamente	Italian	sad, sorrowful
troppo	Italian	too / too much
veloce	Italian	swift
vif	French	lively
vite	French	quick
vivace / vivo	Italian	lively, quick
voce	Italian	voice
voll	German	full
volta	Italian	time (prima volta – first time)
wenig	German	little
wieder	German	again
zart	German	tender, delicate

Dynamics (italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
crescendo / cresc.	Italian	gradually getting louder
decrescendo / decresc.	Italian	gradually getting quieter
diminuendo / dim.	Italian	gradually getting quieter
f / forte	Italian	loud
ff / fortissimo	Italian	very loud
fz / forzando / forzato	Italian	similar to sforzando; a strong accent
mf / mezzo forte	Italian	moderately loud
mp / mezzo piano	Italian	moderately quiet
niente	Italian	fading away to nothing
p / piano	Italian	quiet
pp / pianissimo	Italian	very quiet
fp / fortepiano	Italian	loud, then immediately soft
sf / sfz* / sforzando / zforzato*	Italian	forced, accented
sotto voce	Italian	in an undertone, i.e. very quietly

Tempo (italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
accelerando / accel.	Italian	gradually getting quicker
adagietto	Italian	rather slow (faster than adagio)
adagio	Italian	slow
affrettando	Italian	hurrying
alla breve	Italian	with a minim beat, equivalent to 2/2, implying a faster tempo than the note values might otherwise suggest
allegretto	Italian	fairly quick (but not as quick as allegro)
allegro	Italian	quick
andante	Italian	at a medium (walking) speed
andantino	Italian	slightly faster than andante
a tempo ^☆	Italian	speed, time (a tempo – in time)
doppio movimento	Italian	twice as fast
giusto	Italian	proper, exact (tempo giusto – in strict time)
grave	Italian	very slow, solemn
incalzando	Italian	getting quicker
langsam	German	slow
larghetto	Italian	rather slow (not as slow as largo)
largo	Italian	slow, stately
lebhaft	German	lively
lent	French	slow
lento	Italian	slow
mässig	German	at a moderate speed
modéré	French	at a moderate speed
presser	French	hurry (en pressant – hurrying on)
presto	Italian	fast
ralentir	French	slow down
rallentando / rall.	Italian	gradually getting slower
ritardando / rit.	Italian	gradually getting slower
ritenuto / rit.	Italian	held back
rubato / tempo rubato	Italian	with some freedom of time
schnell	German	fast
stringendo	Italian	gradually getting faster
tempo primo^☆	Italian	original tempo
tosto	Italian	swift, rapid
volante	Italian	flying fast

Instruction and information (don't italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
attacca	Italian	go straight on to the next section of music
colla voce	Italian	instruments follow vocal part
da capo / D.C.	Italian	repeat from the beginning
dal segno / D.S.	Italian	repeat from the sign
divisi	Italian	divided (instruments/voices in a section of the ensemble divide into two or more groups playing different parts)
fermata	Italian	a pause
fine^☆	Italian	the end
non divisi	Italian	not divided (every player in a particular orchestral part plays all the notes of a chord)
segue	Italian	go straight on
simile	Italian	in the same way
tasto solo	Italian	(Baroque music) an indication to the keyboard player not to add any chords to the bass line
tutti	Italian	all parts play
volti subito / V.S.^☆	Italian	turn the page quickly

Technique (don't italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
arco	Italian	play with the bow
arrestre		a bowing technique used in tango to increase the speed of bowing; often features in the double bass part
birimintingo	precise origin uncertain	improvised melodic runs played on a West African stringed instrument called the kora
chicharra	Spanish	a technique used in tango by the violinist to represent the sound of a cicada insect; the strings are played heavily behind the bridge using the bow
col legno	Italian	with the wood of the bow (string players)
coloratura	Italian	elaborate ornamentation in vocal music (also a soprano with a very high, agile voice)
con pedale	Italian	with pedal
con sordino	Italian	with mute
embouchure	French	the way in which a brass or wind instrumentalist applies their mouth to the mouthpiece of the instrument
falsetto	Italian	a very high register of the voice (usually a male singer's), beyond the normal range
flageolet register	French	the register above falsetto; the female equivalent of the male falsetto register
glissando	Italian	played as a smooth or stepped slide between two notes
legato	Italian	smoothly
latigo	Spanish	a rapid glissando used in tango to represent the sound of a whip
mano destra / m.d.	Italian	play with the left hand
mano sinistra / m.s.	Italian	play with the right hand
parlando	Italian	a vocal technique that sounds like sung speech
pizzicato	Italian	plucked (string players)
portamento	Italian	slide pitch from one note to another
rasgueado	Spanish	a guitar technique used in flamenco that involves rapid strumming
sirena	Spanish	in tango, a slow descending glissando on the violin, played on two strings
Sprechgesang / Sprechstimme	German	a vocal technique that produces a sound that is somewhere between singing and speaking
staccato	Italian	detached articulation
staccatissimo	Italian	very detached articulation
sul ponticello	Italian	play on the bridge (string players)
sul tasto	Italian	play near the fingerboard (string players)
sur la touche	French	French for 'sul tasto': play near the fingerboard (string players)
tambor	Spanish	a form of percussive pizzicato used in tango
tremolo / tremolando	Italian	trembling effect
una corda	Italian	use the soft pedal (piano)
vibrato	Italian	a quick, minor variation in pitch in singing or playing, producing a richer tone

Names of musical symbols (don't italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
appoggiatura	Italian	a grace note that takes part of the main note's value
acciaccatura	Italian	a grace note that is played as quickly as possible
fermata	Italian	a pause

Forms, styles and genres (don't italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
a cappella	Italian	music where a voice or voices perform without accompaniment
bel canto opera	Italian	Italian opera from the early nineteenth century
ballade	French	a technically demanding Romantic piano piece in one movement; Chopin is one of the main composers of this genre
bhangra	Punjabi	traditional Indian music and dance from the Punjab, or popular music influenced by Punjabi music
bolero	Spanish	in Cuban music, a romantic song with a moderate tempo and a simple duple or quadruple metre; in European music, a dance with a triple metre
bossa nova	Portuguese	a style of Brazilian music used in some popular genres from the 1950s onwards
cantata	Italian	a secular or sacred vocal composition in several movements, usually from the Baroque era; smaller in scale than an oratorio or opera
cantus firmus	Latin	a pre-existing melody that is used as the basis for a contrapuntal composition
chaconne	French	a Baroque dance with a triple metre and ground bass
concertante	Italian	ensemble works involving extended instrumental solos in a similar manner to a concerto
concerto	Italian
concerto grosso	Italian	A Baroque genre; sections for the ripieno (the orchestra) alternate with passages for the concertino (a small group of soloists). For plural form use 'concerto grossos'.
divertimento	Italian	a term used by Classical composers to describe various light-hearted pieces, including work that would now be described as chamber music, sonatas or concertos
duo sonata	Italian	from the late Classical era onwards, a work in several movements for two instruments (one of which is usually the piano) that play an equal role
empfindsamer Stil	German	'sensitive style'; an early Classical German style that was less ornamented and more chromatic than the style galant
fado	Portuguese	a Portuguese ballad with modal melodies and a simple triple or quadruple metre
fugato	Italian
fugue	from French/Italian	a highly contrapuntal movement; t the opening of a fugue, the different voices or instruments enter one at a time, playing the subject (theme) at different pitches.
gigue	French	Baroque dance in compound time, often used in the last movements of suites and sonatas
habanera	Spanish	a dotted dance rhythm that originated in Cuban and South American music
isicathamiya	Zulu	an 'a cappella' choral genre from South Africa
khorovod	Russian	a Russian round dance
lied (plural lieder)	German	a song from the Romantic era with German text; usually scored for solo voice and piano
mazurka	Polish, via German	a lively Polish dance in simple triple time, with an accent on the second or third beat of the bar
mbaqanga	Zulu	A jazz/Zulu fusion genre from South Africa
mélodie	French	song for solo voice and instrumental accompaniment with French texts, equivalent to the German lied
Moritat	German	a medieval song about murder
musique concrète	French	music that uses raw sounds in its composition
nuevo tango	Latin American Spanish	a form of tango developed by Piazzolla in the 1950s, with new instruments, and harmonic and melodic structures
opera buffa	Italian	a comic Italian opera with recitatives
opera seria	Italian	an Italian opera with recitatives, a serious plot and noble or mythic characters
oratorio	Italian	a sacred composition for vocal soloists, choir and orchestra
oratorio latino	Italian	an oratorio with a text in Latin; it usually consists of a single movement
passacaglia	Italian	a Baroque composition with a slow triple metre; it was structured around variations over a ground bass
polonaise	French	a slow Polish dance in simple triple metre
prelude	French
prima prattica	Italian	a term used by Monteverdi to describe an early Baroque style influenced by the polyphonic textures and modal tonality of the Renaissance
recitativo accompagnato	Italian	a passage of speech-like singing with accompaniment from the string section
recitativo secco	Italian	a passage of speech-like singing with accompaniment from a harpsichord
ritornello form	Italian	A musical structure in which a recurring passage, known as a ritornello, is played between passages of new material, taking the structure R-A-R-B-R-C-R
rondo	Italian
rondo form	Italian	a structure based around a repeating theme that alternates with contrasting episodes; the theme remains in the tonic key throughout
samba	Portuguese
salsa	American Spanish	a fusion genre that combines elements of traditional Cuban music with contemporary styles such as jazz
samba-de-batucada (or just batucada)	Brazilian/Portuguese	African-influenced percussive style usually performed by an ensemble
samba-canção	Brazilian/Portuguese	popular songs with a slow paced samba rhythm
sarabande	French	A courtly dance from the Baroque period. It was characterised by a slow tempo, triple metre, and an emphasis on the second beat of the bar.
seconda prattica	Italian	a style developed by Monteverdi; key features are simple vocal lines, word painting, lyrical melodies and a freer treatment of dissonance
siciliana	Italian	in the Baroque era, a movement with a slow tempo, compound metre and lilting rhythms; often used to evoke pastoral scenes
sinfonia	Italian
simultaneous quodlibet	Latin	a song where two or more pre-existing melodies are sung at the same time
Singspiel	German	an opera with German words, and spoken dialogue instead of recitative
solo concerto	Italian	a composition for instrumental soloists and orchestra
son	Spanish	a Cuban song with a prominent guitar part and rhythmic accompaniment
Sturm und Drang	German	'storm and stress'; a precusor of the Romantic style, defined by contrasts of tonality and dynamics, and intense orchestral effects
style galant	French	an early Classical style; defined by melody and accompaniment textures, and simple tonic and dominant harmonies
sonata	Italian	a piece of instrumental music (not to be confused with sonata form)
tango	Latin American Spanish	a genre of traditional music from Argentina; usually has simple duple or simple quadruple metre and syncopation
toccata	Italian	Literally "to touch", a toccata is a fast piece of music for a keyboard instrument such as the piano or organ
trio	Italian	When used in the context of vocal music, a trio is a vocal piece for three solo singers
zydeco	French Creole, Louisiana	A style of fast-paced blues fusion music that emerged in creole (African/French mixed-race) communities in the southern states of America

Names of sections and movements (don't italicise)
incl. tempo markings or terms of expression used as section names (e.g. the Allegro, a scherzo, a stretto)
Term	Origin	Definition
Agnus Dei	Latin	the fifth section of the Ordinary of the Mass; it is a plea to Jesus for mercy
alap	Hindi	the opening section of a traditional Indian piece; the raga is introduced through improvisation in free time
aria	Italian	a lyrical passage for a vocal soloist in an opera or oratorio; often emotionally expressive and accompanied by the full orchestra
aria di bravura	Italian	in late Baroque and Classical opera, an aria with a highly virtuosic vocal part that enables the singer to show off their technique
Benedictus	Latin	a portion of the Mass that blesses people who follow God; it is usually closely associated with the Sanctus
buffo aria	Italian	an operatic aria for a comic character of low social status
cadenza	Italian	a technically challenging, virtuosic passage for a soloist, often located at the end of a movement
coda	Italian	a passage used at the end of a movement to make it sound finished
codetta	Italian	a short concluding passage that appears at the end of a section of a movement, such as the end of the exposition in sonata form
Credo	Latin	the third movement of the Ordinary of the Mass; the text is a declaration of belief in God
Dies Irae	Latin	a movement in a requiem; the text refers to the terror of Judgement Day
Gloria	Latin	a movement in a Mass or requiem; the text praises the glory of God
idée fixe	French	a term invented by Berlioz to describe a theme that is repeated and transformed over the course of a musical work
intermezzo	Italian	an instrumental interlude between acts or scenes in an opera / an instrumental piece used either as an interlude between movements in a larger work or as a stand-alone character piece
Liber Scriptus	Latin	a section of the Dies Irae set as a separate movement in some requiems; the text is about the book of judgement
Magnificat	Latin	a hymn of Mary's from the Bible, performed as part of the vespers and evensong services
moto perpetuo	Italian	'perpetual motion'; a piece or section of music featuring fast, repeated rhythms consisting of notes of equal length; also known as perpetuum mobile
perpetuum mobile	Latin	'perpetual motion'; a piece or section of music featuring fast, repeated rhythms consisting of notes of equal length; also known as moto perpetuo
Quid sum Miser	Latin	a section of the Dies Irae set as a separate movement in some requiems; the text asks who to appeal to for salvation on Judgement Day
Rex Tremendae	Latin	a section of the Dies Irae used as a separate movement in some requiems; the text praises God and is a prayer for salvation
ritornello	Italian	in a concerto, a main theme that is stated at the start of a movement and repeated at intervals throughout
Sanctus	Latin	the fourth section of the Ordinary of the Mass; the text declares that God is holy
Tuba Mirum	Latin	a section of the Dies Irae used as a separate movement in some requiems; the text is about the moment when a trumpet sounds to summon people's spirits before God

Names of instruments, voices, instrumentalists and parts (don't italicise)
alto	Italian	a low female voice
balalaika	Russian	a Russian instrument like a guitar but triangular in shape
basso continuo	Italian	a bass line with numbers under it; the bass line is played by the cello; the numbers indicate chords played on a harpsichord or organ
bodhrán	Irish Gaelic	an Irish drum used in some folk music
bouzouki	Greek/Turkish	a plucked string instrument from Greece; it's a type of lute, similar to a mandolin
celesta	pseudo-Latin from French	a keyboard instrument with a high register and bright timbre
cembalo	Italian	a harpsichord
coloratura	Italian	a soprano with a very high, agile voice (also elaborate ornamentation in vocal music)
concertino	Italian	a group of instrumental soloists in a Baroque concerto grosso or related composition
cor anglais	French	a woodwind instrument that sounds like an oboe but has a lower register
cori spezziati	Italian	choirs located in different parts of a church, often used for antiphonal singing in Monteverdi's music
coro	Spanish	the backing vocals in Cuban music
cuatro	Spanish	a small guitar used in South American and Cuban music
dhol	precise origin uncertain	a double-headed Indian drum
duduk (plural duduki)	Armenian, from Turkish	'wind pipe'; a traditional double-reed instrument common in the music of Armenia and neighbouring countries
fortepiano	Italian	an early piano used in the Classical era; the range is narrower and the tone softer than those of the modern piano
gamelan	Javanese	Indonesian percussion ensemble consisting of gongs and other metal instruments, or music for such an ensemble
glockenspiel	German	a pitched percussion instrument with a high register
guiro	Spanish	a Latin American percussion instrument that is scraped using a beater
mezzo-soprano	Italian	a moderately high female voice (between soprano and contralto)
obbligato	Italian	an indispensable musical part; often played exactly as written, rather than ad lib
oboe da caccia	Italian	a member of the Baroque oboe family, pitched a fifth below the modern oboe
oboe d'amore	Italian	a member of the oboe family with an alto register; used by composers in the eighteenth and twentieth centuries
ondes martenot	French	an early electronic instrument sometimes used in compositions by Messaien; can be played either with a keyboard or by sliding a metal ring along a wire to produce distinctive portamento effects
orquesta típica	Spanish	the ensemble that plays tango; usually contains a double bass, a piano, and one or more violins and bandoneons
pregón	Spanish	the lead local part in Cuban music
ripieno	Italian	the group of orchestral players in a Baroque concerto grosso or related composition
sarangi	precise origin uncertain	a bowed, stringed instrument common in Punjabi and Hindustani music
soprano	Italian	a high female voice
tabla	precise origin uncertain	an Indian instrument consisting of a pair of drums
tumbi	Punjabi	an instrument with one string from the Punjab region of India
viola da gamba	Italian	A bowed and fretted string instrument played on the leg (da gamba). It was used mainly during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Use 'viola da gambas' for the plural form.
violino piccolo	Italian	in the Baroque era, a small violin, pitched a third higher than the standard violin
violone	Italian	a Baroque stringed instrument similar to a cello

Miscellaneous (don't italicise)
Term	Origin	Definition
Affekt	German	especially in music of the Baroque era, the use of rhetorical/stylistic devices to represent emotion – there tends to be one main emotion/mood per movement
altissimo	Italian	the highest register of a woodwind instrument or voice
anacrusis	Latin from Greek	unaccented melody notes that precede the first, main beat of the bar
arpeggio	Italian	a form of broken chord in which the notes of the chord are played ascending/descending order
chaal		in Punjabi music, a repeated rhythmic pattern similar to a Western dotted or crotchet-quaver feel
chalumeau	French	the lowest register of a clarinet
clarion	French	the middle register of a clarinet
échappée	French	'escaped note' – a note going in the opposite direction from the progression in a stepwise melody
Fortspinnung	German	a common device in Baroque music whereby a few motifs are 'spun out' to create the melody of an entire movement through the use of musical devices such as inversion, sequence, augmentation and diminution
guajeo	Spanish	an ostinato melody in Cuban music, constructed of syncopated broken chords
kumbengo	precise origin uncertain	repeated ostinato riff patterns, when played on a West African stringed instrument called the kora
leitmotif	German (Leitmotiv)	especially in opera or musical theatre, a short theme with dramatic significance that is repeated across the course of a work
libretto	Italian	the text of an opera or other vocal work
milonga	South American Spanish from Brazilian Portuguese	a venue or event where tango is danced; also a dance style or a section within a tango piece
ostinato	Italian	a repeating musical phrase
passagio	Italian	the notes that are on the boundary between the different parts of a singer's range
raga	Sanskrit	(sometimes rag or raag) the pitch structures used as the basis for improvisation in Indian classical music
solo	Italian	an instruction for an instrument that normally plays the same part as other instruments of the same type plays on its own; or a section of a piece that highlights an individual instrument or voice
tala	Sanskrit	a rhythmic pattern used in Indian classical music borrowed by some rock or pop bands
terzetto	Italian	a vocal/instrumental trio
tessitura	Italian	the range of a voice or instrument
tierce de Picardie	French	a major third in the final chord of a piece in a minor key

Other (e.g. prepositions) (treat in the same way as the word/s it appears with)
Term	Origin	Definition
a	Italian	at, to, by, for, in the style of
à	French	to, at
aber	German	but
avec	French	with
con / col	Italian	with
e / ed	Italian	and
ein	German	a, one
et	French	and
ma	Italian	but
mais	French	but
mit	German	with
nicht	German	not
non	Italian	not
non	French	not
ohne	German	without
ossia	Italian	or, alternatively
senza	Italian	without
sans	French	without
sopra	Italian	above
sotto	Italian	below (sotto voce – in an undertone)
un / une	French	one
und	German	and
zu	German	to, too

ZigZag Education House Style for Foreign Musical Terms

Italicise

Don't Italicise

Treat in the Same Way as the Word/s it Appears With

incl. tempo markings or terms of expression used as section names (e.g. the Allegro, a scherzo, a stretto)