General Musical Terms / Trminos Generales Musicales

winds (i.e. both woodwinds and brass) woodwinds flute / piccolo oboe / english horn (cor anglais) clarinet / bass clarinet (alto, tenor) saxophone bassoon / contrabassoon brass horn (French horn) trumpet trombone baritone (euphonium, tenor tuba) tuba string instruments violin (firsts, seconds) viola cello double bass percussion snare drum bass drum timpani (hard/soft) drumsticks cymbals triangle castanets (set of) tubular bells keyboard instruments piano los vientos las maderas la flauta / el flautn el oboe / el corno ingls el clarinete / el clarinete bajo el saxofn (alto, tenor) el fagot / el contrafagot los metales (los bronces in Latin America) la trompa (el corno in Latin America) la trompeta el trombn el bombardino la tuba las cuerdas, la cuerda el violn [pl. los violines] (los primeros, los segundos) la viola el violonchelo el contrabajo la percusin la caja el bombo los timbales las baquetas (duras/suaves) los platos el tringulo las castauelas el campanlogo los instrumentos de tecla, los teclados el piano

horn (general term for a woodwind or brass instrument) el instrumento (de viento)

organ harpsichord

el rgano el clavicmbalo (pronounced clavichmbalo) la sordina arco (arriba, abajo) las baquetas (ms duras, ms suaves) el instrumento la msica la msica, la partitura la partitura, la partichela la partitura, el score (pronounced escr) la obra la sinfona el concierto el tiempo (which can also mean "movement", "beat", "time" and "weather"!) el movimiento (or el tiempo) la parte or el tiempo (or pulso or golpe) el comps la escala el acorde mayor / menor aumentado, -a / justo, -a / disminuido, -a el/la instrumentista el/la violinista, trompetista, etc. (generally ista); buttimbalero. NOTE: You can also use the name of the instrument, using the gender of the player and not the instrument. For example, El tuba es de Valencia means "The (male) tubist is from Valencia", while La tuba es de Valenciameans either "The (female) tubist is from Valencia" or "The tuba (i.e., the instrument) is from Valencia". orquesta orquesta sinfnica orquesta filarmnica orquesta de cmara

mute bow (up, down) drumsticks (harder, softer) instrument music (the subject) music (the paper) orchestral part conductor's score piece, work symphony concerto tempo

movement beat measure, bar scale chord major / minor augmented / perfect / diminished instrumentalist violinist, trumpeter, etc.; timpanist

orchestra symphony orchestra, symphonic orchestra philharmonic orchestra chamber orchestra

band ensemble, group brass ensemble, etc. duo/duet, trio, quartet, quintet concert soloist principal player section player choir, chorus singer soprano (contr)alto tenor baritone [singer] bass conductor orchestra manager musician

banda (or sometimes orquesta, as in the case of a dance band) conjunto conjunto de metales, etc. do, tro, cuarteto, quinteto concertista solista tuttista el coro el/la cantante la soprano la contralto el tenor el bartono el bajo el director el regidor el msico

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

whole note (American) / semibreve (British) half-note / minim quarter-note / crochet eighth-note / quaver sixteenth-note / semiquaver thirty-second-note / demisemiquaver sixty-fourth-note / hemidemisemiquaver dotted quarter-note / dotted crochet

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

la redonda la blanca la negra la corchea la semicorchea la fusa la semifusa la negra con puntillo

a. whole[-note] rest (American) / semibreve rest (?) (British) b. half[-note] rest / minim rest (?) c. (etc.)

a. el silencio de redonda b. el silencio de blanca c. (etc.)

a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

A-flat B-double-flat C D E-natural F-sharp G-double-sharp

a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

la bemol si doble bemol do re mi natural fa sostenido sol doble sostenido

a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

treble clef or G-clef bass clef or F-clef tenor clef or C-clef (on the fourth line) alto clef or C-clef (on the third line) bar line double bar (line) repeat sign (a type of double bar)

a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

la clave de sol la clave de fa la clave de do en cuarta lnea la clave de do en tercera lnea la barra la doble barra la repeticin

a. b. c. d.

pick-up note(s) or anacrusis measure or bar first ending second ending

a. b. c. d.

la anacrusa el comps la primera casilla la segunda casilla

a. b. c. d.

trill accent (normal accent, marcato accent) fermata or hold [quarter-note or crochet] triplet

a. b. c. d.

el trino el acento el caldern el tresillo [de negras]

e. tie f. slur

e. la ligadura (de unin) f. la ligadura (de expresin)

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

unison (major) second (minor) third (augmented) fourth (perfect) fifth (major) sixth (diminished) seventh (perfect) octave

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

un unsono una segunda (mayor) una tercera (menor) una cuarta (aumentada) una quinta (justa) una sexta (mayor) una sptima (disminuida) una octava (justa)

SAMPLE DIRECTIONS: Letter B, second time (take the second ending). At the cut time. Five before C. Eight after 21. The fifth bar of M. La letra B, como segunda. Al comps binario. Cinco antes de la C. (Letters are feminine.) Ocho despus del veintiuno. (Numbers are masculine.) El quinto (comps) de la M or Cinco despus de la M. El (comps) doce de la M or Doce despus de la M. Ordinal numbers are used only through "tenth" ("dcimo"). There is a cut from F to H. high (register) high (sharp) low (both low-register and flat) loud; louder soft more less Hay un corte de F a H. alto, -a; agudo, -a alto, -a bajo, -a fuerte; ms fuerte suave, piano ms menos

The twelfth bar of M.

concert rehearsal intermission, break to rehearse to practice there is, there are only fast slow on time right; wrong almost too (= excessively) too much too little a little early late; behind short long together tutti, everybody

el concierto el ensayo el descanso ensayar estudiar hay slo, solamente rpido (adv.); rpido, -a (adj.) despacio (adv.); lento, -a (adj.) a tiempo correcto, -a; incorrecto, -a casi demasiado demasiado, -a demasiado poco, demasiado poca un poco temprano tarde; atrs corto, -a largo, -a juntos, -as todos (pronounced TOH-thohss, with a very soft d, like the "th" in "this"; otherwise it sounds to Spaniards like "toros"!) slo cuerda muy bien vale tres por cuatro, seis por ocho, etc. ligado Generally spelled the same, with the pronunciation slightly hispanicized: vibrato (pronounced bibrato), pizzicato(pisicato or pichicato), staccato (e stacato), etc. The same applies to foreign composers' names: Wagner (Bgner),Mozart (Msar), etc.

strings alone very good okay, all right 3/4, 6/8, etc. legato, slurred vibrato, pizzicato, staccato, and other musical terms which do not have a Spanish translation