Helpful Guide To Musical Terms(HERE it is!) (fwd)

[Paul Kupelian]

I saw a hard copy of this at a recent opera rehearsal here.  Thought you
might get a kick out of it so I had the original sender upload it to me.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 22:59:10 -0500
From:DavidM9259@aol.com
To: kupelian@oswego.Oswego.EDU
Subject: Re: Helpful Guide To Musical Terms(HERE it is!)

I copied it out of my outgoing mail.  Enjoy!--David



                         THE COLLEGE OPERA DICTIONARY
              A Helpful Guide to Musical Terms in Operatic Scores
                     Compiled and edited by Harold Laycock

1.  DYNAMICS

     fff tutta forza ------------- play softly

     mf -------------------------- as softly as possible

     p --------------------------- hold the bow one inch above string

     ppp ------------------------- place instrument in case and think softly
of
                                   the notes while playing on the case.

     p subito -------------------- opportunity for some obscure orchestra
                                   player to become a soloist.

2.  TEMPO

     presto ---------------------- outside player close eyes and tremolo
                                   fiercely on any open string, inside player
                                   turn pages furiously

     lento molto e sustenuto ----- (groan) prop arms up on music stand

3.  EXPRESSION

     arco ------------------------ plucked string

     pizz ------------------------ with bow; (these terms usually mean just
the
                                   opposite, but they alternate so rapidly in
                                   opera that it works out best this way)

     attacca --------------------- fire at will

     col legno (literally, "with wood"):

         1. to be played with the back of the bow on the back of the
         violin (in actual practice the bow hair is used for a more
         expressive tone at times)

         2. sometimes denotes "wood-winds," hence: with the back of the
         clarinet, etc.

     col dorso dell' arco -------- bow needs to be rehaired

     col crine ------------------- literally "with hair" denoting a certain
                                   type of music

     col canto, colla voce ------- (both terms mean to follow the singer,
                                   hence, no definite meter or rhythm, and
                                   sometimes no definite pitch

     con sordino ----------------- go ahead and play without mutes, as there
                                   isn't time to put them on anyway

     senza sordino --------------- term to remind the player that he forgot
to
                                   put his mute on, a few measures back

     deciso ---------------------- make up your mind (a term frequently used
                                   during rehearsals)

     lamentoso ------------------- with handkerchiefs

     la corde (prima corde) ------ passage to be played by first string
players
                                   only, unless they have fouled out

     espressivo ------------------ sway gently from side to side

     agitato --------------------- sway violently from side to side

     appassionato ---------------- jump up and down

     sensible -------------------- this term sometimes appears in Italian
opera
                                   scores, but is obviously a mistake

     risoluto -------------------- stubbornly maintain the correct tempo no
                                   matter what the conductor tries to do

     tacet ----------------------- time for a quick beer (or malt), same as
pp

     tenuto ---------------------- hang on until singer runs out of breath,
or,
                                   (if in last act), dies.

4.  PERFORMERS

     conductor ------------------- an all-round flunkey, carpenter, mechanic,
                                   janitor, beast of burden, nursemaid,
crying
                                   towel, musician, impressario, and
financier,
                                   who is adept at following many people at
the
                                   same time

     principals ------------------ the star performers according to the
program

     prompter -------------------- the star performer in actual fact;
sometimes
                                   the man who isn't there

     chorus ---------------------- a facetious term applied to the rest of
the
                                   cast

     prima donna ----------------- the lady who generally dies in the last
act
                                   of consumption (obviously
over-consumption)

     coloratura soprano ---------- one who cannot find the note but who has a
                                   wild time hunting for it

     dramatic soprano ------------ one who has found the note and won't let
go

     heroic tenor ---------------- one who gets by on sheer nerve


5.  MISCLLANEOUS TERMS

     ad libitum ------------------ the first night's performance

     bravo (lit., "what nerve!"):

     morendo (lit., "drop dead"):  these are spontaneous expressions of
                                   appreciation on the part of the operagoer,
                                   heard after particularly trying scenes

     corni ----------------------- not what you might think

     dim. ------------------------ descriptive term applied to orchestra
lights

     lunga ----------------------- a useful device for playing trombones and
                                   tubas

     piu ------------------------- a descriptive slang term

     sensible -------------------- see III.

     secco (lit. "dry") ---------- descriptive term applied to libretto

     strep. ---------------------- a condition the prima donna gets just
before
                                   the opening night, usually treated with
                                   penicillin

     sotto voce ------------------ most powerful register of the college
prima
                                   donna's voice

     troppo ---------------------- "too much", applied to anything after two
                                   performances

     tutti ----------------------- a kind of fruit used in ice cream

     I 16 I ---------------------- a symbol meaning the player is to rest for
                                   12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,  18, 19, or 20
                                   measures, depending upon the performance

(This handy guide furnished through the courtesy of G. Childsowsky,
Esq., forwarded by Maestro Gary Berkson.)