Glossary of Terms
Italian Terms found in the score.
Andante non Tanto quasi moderato: At a walking pace, not too moderate.
Poco piú f: A little more loud.
Poco á poco crescendo: Gradually louder, little by little.
Dolce: Sweetly.
Sfz: Sforzando – sudden accent.
Marc. Marcato – marked.
Pizz: Plucked.
Arco: Bowed.
Legato: Smoothly.
Unis. Unison – playing at the same pitch.
String. Accel.: Gradually faster.
Allegro: lively.
Molto meno mosso: Much less movement.
Giusto: In strict time.
Con Sord: With mutes.
Solo: Solo.
Espr.: Expressively.
Div.: Divided.
Dim.: Gradually softer.
Ma Sensibile: But sensibly.
Senza Sord: Without mutes.
Triplet: 3 notes in the time of 2.
Pedal: Long sustained or repeated note, over which the harmonies change. For example dominant pedal, tonic pedal.
Muta: To change (timps).
Amoroso: Lovingly.
Syncopation: Displaced accent (Strife theme).
Sempre: Always.
Moderato Assai: Very moderate.
Texture:
Homophonic: block chords eg 1st 8 bars, strife themes and the funeral “hymn”, at bar 495.
Polyphonic: eg most of the “development” (middle section) bar 272.
Broken chords: eg most of the harp playing.
Imitation: eg most of the “development”.
Parallel melodic intervals: thirds, at bar 61.
Scale passages: often in octaves, eg bar 38, 143, 300, 345, all on strings.
Chromatic passages: throughout.
Dynamics:
ppp, pp, p, mp, fff, ff, f, mf, cresc., dim., >.
Tonality:
Sudden dramatic changes throughout. Uses new key signatures throughout.
1st section (Intro) starts in F#m, bar 28 moves to the un-related key of Fm, and bar 68 to Em. ( Listen to the harp broken chords)
Bar 112 (strife theme) Bm, bar 184 (love theme) Db maj.
“Development” F#m, Gm, Bm, Cm.
“Recapitulation”, bar 353 Bm, bar 389 D maj (love theme), bar 446 Bm (strife theme), bar 454 Cm (strife theme).
B maj (“Death March”) bar 485, ends on a chord of B maj.
NB: Note the tonic and dominant pedals throughout.
NB: Also worth noting sequences and imitation throughout.
Andante non Tanto quasi moderato: At a walking pace, not too moderate.
Poco piú f: A little more loud.
Poco á poco crescendo: Gradually louder, little by little.
Dolce: Sweetly.
Sfz: Sforzando – sudden accent.
Marc. Marcato – marked.
Pizz: Plucked.
Arco: Bowed.
Legato: Smoothly.
Unis. Unison – playing at the same pitch.
String. Accel.: Gradually faster.
Allegro: lively.
Molto meno mosso: Much less movement.
Giusto: In strict time.
Con Sord: With mutes.
Solo: Solo.
Espr.: Expressively.
Div.: Divided.
Dim.: Gradually softer.
Ma Sensibile: But sensibly.
Senza Sord: Without mutes.
Triplet: 3 notes in the time of 2.
Pedal: Long sustained or repeated note, over which the harmonies change. For example dominant pedal, tonic pedal.
Muta: To change (timps).
Amoroso: Lovingly.
Syncopation: Displaced accent (Strife theme).
Sempre: Always.
Moderato Assai: Very moderate.
Texture:
Homophonic: block chords eg 1st 8 bars, strife themes and the funeral “hymn”, at bar 495.
Polyphonic: eg most of the “development” (middle section) bar 272.
Broken chords: eg most of the harp playing.
Imitation: eg most of the “development”.
Parallel melodic intervals: thirds, at bar 61.
Scale passages: often in octaves, eg bar 38, 143, 300, 345, all on strings.
Chromatic passages: throughout.
Dynamics:
ppp, pp, p, mp, fff, ff, f, mf, cresc., dim., >.
Tonality:
Sudden dramatic changes throughout. Uses new key signatures throughout.
1st section (Intro) starts in F#m, bar 28 moves to the un-related key of Fm, and bar 68 to Em. ( Listen to the harp broken chords)
Bar 112 (strife theme) Bm, bar 184 (love theme) Db maj.
“Development” F#m, Gm, Bm, Cm.
“Recapitulation”, bar 353 Bm, bar 389 D maj (love theme), bar 446 Bm (strife theme), bar 454 Cm (strife theme).
B maj (“Death March”) bar 485, ends on a chord of B maj.
NB: Note the tonic and dominant pedals throughout.
NB: Also worth noting sequences and imitation throughout.