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.)
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