Baptized: December 17, 1770, BonnDied: March 26, 1827, Vienna (age 56)
glossary
adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
assai—very much. Intensifies the direction of its neighboring words, e.g. "allegro assai", very fast
chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
coda—end (related to "tail"). The final passage or section of music. Conclusion. Typically refers to portion of music that is after the formal symmetrical ending of the piece, e.g. a sort of addendum.
finale [I], final [F]—The final movement, sometimes explicitly titled thus
fuoco, con fuoco, avec feu [Fr], mit Feuer [G], feurig [G]—fire, fiery; passionately, burning energy and excitement; impetuously
opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
presto—very fast, more so than allegro.
quasi—almost, almost like, as if
quintet, quintette [F], quintett [G], quintetto [I]—an ensemble / work for 5 players, the typical examples being string quintet (with second viola or cello), piano quintet or woodwind quintet
scherzo—lively, brisk, typically in a triple meter; usually a three-part form with central, contrasting trio
sostenuto [I], soutenu [F]—sustained, perhaps a bit slow