Topic: Replacing Italian musical notation with meaningful English (Read 6948 times)

pikey · « **on:** October 21, 2013, 10:50:55 AM »

A discussion on a thread about 6/8 time has got me thinking.

What if we replaced Italian musical notation with more meaningful English phrases?

Suggestions please, here are a few to get us going, with Italian counterparts where I think I know what they are:

- Laid back (Legato)

- Jaunty

- Jaunty walk (a bit steadier than Jaunty, thanks George for that one!)

- Bouncy

- Pointy (staccato)

- Smoochy (for waltzes, thanks George!)

- Swirly (for waltzes, George again)

- Diddly Diddly (allegro, jig time?)

- Crunchy (for schottisches)

More please!!

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2013, 11:04:25 AM »

Quote from: Jackhumphreys on October 18, 2013, 10:19:09 AM

It's fun to trawl through yt to find examples which are either informative (i.e. you can see their feet) or inspirational. I had to leave out some of the more explicitly smoochy belgian mazurkas in case it frightened off shy beginners.

Jack got there first

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2013, 11:19:55 AM »

The composer Percy Grainger was famous (notorious?) for his eschewing of standard Italian musical terms for tempi and dynamics, substituting them with colourful flowery English terms.

In his scores you will see things like 'louden' (crescendo) or 'louden lots' (molto crescendo), 'feelingly and piercingly' (molto espressivo [I suppose?]), 'linger very slightly' (poco ritardando). The most descriptive tempo marking I can recall is from his Hill Song No.2 which is marked 'fierce, keen and violent, at a fast walking pace' - interpret that how you will, but we always used to play it simply allegro.

I don't think it does anyone any harm at all to take the trouble to learn a few Italian musical terms. We learned a lot of them in primary school class music/singing lessons. Mostly they are clear and concise and pretty much internationally accepted. Percy Grainger's terms might well cause some trouble with non-English speaking musicians, whereas the Italian terms would be well known.

Nick Collis Bird · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2013, 11:23:44 AM »

Allegro: a leg row, as in argument.what happens when a Morris side take the wrong steps.

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2013, 11:28:55 AM »

Grainger was actually Australian, a land not given to understatement? In view of some of his other interests I'd offer "dom" and "sub" as abbreviations for our more standard V and IV chords

Earbrass · « **Reply #5 on:** October 21, 2013, 11:36:00 AM »

Al fresco : to be played outside
Al dente : a piece to get your teeth into
Al qaeda : go out with a bang

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #6 on:** October 21, 2013, 11:38:16 AM »

Con brio - playing with a wooden toy railway

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #7 on:** October 21, 2013, 12:04:19 PM »

Andante - Mum's sister came too.

(Thinks - this ought to be a Melodeons at Witney silly competition...)

Helena Handcart · « **Reply #8 on:** October 21, 2013, 12:12:08 PM »

Quote from: Steve_freereeder on October 21, 2013, 12:04:19 PM

Andante - Mum's sister came too.

(Thinks - this ought to be a Melodeons at Witney silly competition...)

*snort* Great stuff - maybe I shouldn't have read this one just after taking a big gulp of coffee though...?

How about 'forte' - the age at which life allegedly begins?

H

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #9 on:** October 21, 2013, 12:20:14 PM »

Crescendo - time to collect the kids from the nursery.

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #10 on:** October 21, 2013, 12:24:22 PM »

Largo - Somebody's nicked my Heineken.

(I really must get on with some work...)

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #11 on:** October 21, 2013, 12:32:52 PM »

Intermezzo - tune played for … rather too long
Medley - tune played … not long enough

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #12 on:** October 21, 2013, 01:12:35 PM »

Quote from: Chris Ryall on October 21, 2013, 12:32:52 PM

Medley - tune played … not long enough

Agreed, but it's not Italian...

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #13 on:** October 21, 2013, 01:21:03 PM »

.. that was my point, to some extent

mory · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2013, 01:42:47 PM »

Timpani - posh northerner with small son

mory · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2013, 02:02:22 PM »

got away - ad libitum (1) A passage may be performed freely.2) An instrument in a score may be omitted

der! - adagietto (Slowly)

Fairy liquid - estinto (as soft as possible)

Anybody's - facile (easy)

Basil - forte

Columbian marching powder - doppio movimento (twice as fast)

K'ly - grandioso (grandly)

Come on darling! - lusigando (coaxing)

last legs - mancando (fading away)
or
no job to big or small telephone..... mancando

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2013, 02:26:14 PM »

diminuendo - an insinuating remark made by someone of lower than average intelligence.

mory · « **Reply #17 on:** October 21, 2013, 02:28:39 PM »

diminuendo - an insinuating remark made by someone of small stature

'ang on - pausa (pause)

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #18 on:** October 21, 2013, 02:30:10 PM »

largamente - he said he didn't want bitter.

mory · « **Reply #19 on:** October 21, 2013, 02:33:17 PM »

ah ha ha ha - scherzando (playful joking)

PTO - volti subito (turn the page at once)

RIP - solenne (solemn, grave)

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