Around the world, different people have developed their own ways to create music unique to their culture. As a result, there are plenty of words to define the world of music. Today, I’m going to delve into some words for directions in music and the Latin and Italian root words they are derived from.
- forte (audio)
- crescendo (audio)
- Crescendo is a musical direction that indicates you should gradually increase the volume.
- It comes from Latin ‘crescere’ meaning to grow–the same root the word crescent (audio) comes from!
- The word crescendo can also be used to describe a gradual increase in anything.
- One famous composer who loved using dramatic crescendos was Giaochino Rossini! He wrote 39 works for opera before he turned 37. His most famous work is Guillaume Tell, a 3 hour operatic work that you can find on YouTube.
- diminuendo (audio)
- Diminuendo is a musical direction that tells you to gradually decrease in volume.
- It comes from Latin ‘de-‘ meaning completely and Latin ‘minuere’ meaning to make small. The word diminish (audio) shares both roots!
- A diminuendo is the opposite of a crescendo, and is sometimes called a decrescendo (audio).
- The symbol for a diminuendo is sometimes called a hairpin because it supposedly resembles one. It looks like this: ‘>’.
- vivace (audio)
- Vivace tells a musician to to play in a spirited or lively manner.
- It comes from Latin ‘vivere’ meaning to live, a root that is also found in the words vivid (audio) and survive (audio).
- Vivace is not only a direction for how to play the music, but also a direction for tempo! As a tempo direction, it means to play at a brisk and lively pace.
- sostenuto (audio)
- Sostenuto means to hold a note longer than intended.
- It comes from Italian ‘sostenere’ meaning to sustain, which comes from Latin ‘sub-‘ meaning under and ‘tenere’ meaning to hold.
- The pedal on the piano that allows you to extend certain notes is called the sostenuto pedal and is the middle pedal of the piano.
- The Boisselot brothers in Marseille, France invented the sostenuto pedal around 1843. It was patented in the US by the famous piano company, Steinway and Sons.
- dolce (audio)
- Dolce is a musical direction that says to play softly and sweetly.
- It comes from the Latin word ‘dulcis’ meaning sweet. The root also appears in the word dulcet (audio).
- Another word that shares this root is dolcian (audio), a type of soft-toned organ! This woodwind instrument dates back to the Renaissance and was the predecessor to the bassoon.
- tranquillo (audio)
- Tranquillo instructs a musician to play in a quiet or calm manner.
- This comes from the Latin word ‘tranquillus’ for quiet, calm, or still.
- Another commonly confused musical direction is piano! The difference between piano and tranquillo is that piano is a dynamic (referring to volume and power), while tranquillo refers to a style and the feeling the music should invoke in the listener.
- marcato (audio)
- A passage played marcato is played louder or more forcefully than the surrounding music.
- Marcato comes from the Italian word ‘marcare’ meaning to mark.
- A marcato is a type of accent in music composition.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out this site — it’s got plenty of musical terms to explore. As always, happy spelling!