This is a brief listing of some music terms you should know. For more complete information you should see a music dictionary or textbook.

• Adagio -  Slow or extremely slow; not as slow as largo.
• Allegro -  Quick, lively, or bright.
• Andante - Moving along, flowing; slowish but not to slow.
• Bar line - A vertical line drawn through the staff to mark off measures.
• Crescendo - Gradually getting louder.
• Da capo - Go back to the beginning and continue until you come to the word Fine (end).
• Dal segno - Return to the sign and repeat to the word Fine.
• Decrescendo - Gradually getting softer.
• Diatonic - Notes of the key.
• Diminuendo - Gradually getting softer.
• Do - First note of the scale using solmization syllables.
• Dolce - Sweet.
• Dominant - Fifth degree of the major or minor scale.
• Double Bar - Double perpendicular line marking the end of a composition or section.
• Esercizio, esercizi - Exercise or Exercises.
• Fa or Fah - The fourth degree of the major scale using vocal syllables.
• F Clef - The bass clef.
• Fine - End.
• Flat - The sign "b" before a note which lowers its pitch by a half step.
• Forte - Loud or strong; the symbol " f ".
• Fortissimo - Very loud or strong; the symbol  "ff ".
• Larghetto - Slow and dignified but less so than Largo.
• Largo - Very slow and dignified.
• Lento - Slow.
• Measure - Time-content of the notated space which lies between one bar line and the next.
• Mezzo - Medium; neither loud nor soft; the symbol " m ".
• Mezzo-forte - Medium loud; the symbol "mf ".
• Mi - The third degree of the major scale.
• Moderato - A moderate tempo.
• Natural - A note that is neither raised ("sharped") or lowered ("flatted").
• Note - A written sign representing the pitch and duration of a single musical sound.
• Opus - Work; A word used by composers to number compositions.
• Overture - Introduction to an opera.
• Pause - Fermatta; the sign     .
• Piano - Soft; the symbol " p ".
• Pianissimo - Very soft; the symbol " pp ".
• Presto - Quick.
• Prestissimo - Very quick.
• Ritardando (Rit.)- Gradually slowing down.
• Scale - A stepwise arrangement of all the chief notes in a musical system.
• Semitone - The smallest interval in traditional Western music. One-half of a whole tone.
• Sharp - The sign "#" before a note which raises its pitch by a half step.
• Sforzando - Strongly accenting a note or chord; the symbol "sfz " or "Sff ".
• Sol - The fifth degree of the major scale.
• Vivace - Rather vivacious; quick.