Elements of Music Notation : Time Terms and Definitions
by Elaine Ernst Schneider
Alphabetical Definitions
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| accelerando | quickening, getting faster little by little | |
| adagio | very slow | Bach Jesu, bleibet meine freude |
| allegro | fast, cheerful | Beethoven Ode To Joy |
| andante | moderate | Bizet; Habanera |
| a tempo | return to previous time | |
| common time | 4/4 time, quadruple meter | Grieg; In the Hall of the Mountain King Mendelssohn; Wedding March |
| duple meter | 2 beats to a meter | |
| grave | extremely slow and solemn | |
| largo | very slow | Chopin; Funeral March |
| presto | very fast | Joplin; The Entertainer |
| ritardando | gradually getting slower | |
| rubato | flexible time | |
| tempo | rate or speed of the music | |
| tempo di marcia oralla marcia | marching | Tchaikovsky March of the Nutcracker |
| vivace | a lively tempo | Traditonal French Alouette Vivaldi Spring Traditional Isreali Hava Nagila |
| waltz time | 3/4 time | Strauss Blue Danube Wahlteufel Skater’s Waltz Traditional Greensleeves |
By Time
 fastest |
grave: extremely slow and solemn (funeral, graveside)largo: very slow (giants dragging their feet)adagio: very slow
ritardando: gradually getting slower andante: moderate rubato: flexible time vivace: a lively tempo (vivacious) allegro: fast, cheerful presto: very fast (A magician’s hands are quicker than the eye) |
As the time becomes faster, the notes tend to become shorter and the rests fewer.
As the time becomes slower, notes are held longer with rests and pauses more pronounced.
Printable Wordsearch Puzzles: Time and Tone Vocabulary
Worksheet Number 1
Worksheet Number 2
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