Tempo and mood terms

No. I chose musicians that are serious about there music. They would either know it already, or want to know it and learn in themselves.

I'm sorry, you get to choose your performers?? :huh:

If I'm getting it recorded, and there is time restraints like you said, it means I have gotten a profesional to play it, they would already know what the word mean.

Assuming that it is a common musical word...

Again, I use serious musicians. But English is a descriptive language, Italian, German (and Russian, but Cyrillic puts me off) are more emotional, and thus are better at mood.

I still didn't think that you could choose your performer, especially when you get something published. :huh: :unsure:

And the more professional you get, the more you can use.

Now what does this have anything to do with the original comment?? This day is getting weirder by the second... :wacko:

Titles make no difference as far as language is concerned. Write your title in whatever language you want. I've come across titles of peices written in "invented" langauages.

However, just as French is the language of classical ballet, Italian is the standard language of music.

There are standard terms to describe pretty much anything you need in your score, in Italian.

And honestly, if you need to write a paragraph of text to describe something, then you are probably NOT notating it correctly.

Music should be notated with musical notation.

Some contemporary composers have invented notation, which required lengthy textual explanations. Their music really demanded a new form of notation, however. It was justified. The majority of composers, even quite modern, manage with the standard notation.

As for the use of German text in scores, that was, historically, a chauvinistic reaction against the perceived supremacy of Italy in all things musical. I see more professional musicians running for their "native-tongue"/German dictionaries than for Italian dictionaries.

Just speaking for myself, I use a mixture of English, French and Italian for most of my titles. However, all textual indications in the scores is in Italian (with, I believe, a few extremely minor exceptions, which will probably fall under the hatchet of the editor any day now).

Just to add: there are a few standard terms that aren't Italian, but seem to fall under that general umbrella of standard Italian terms, e.g., ad libitum.

I agree with using standards for musical notation, but not with using Italian because it is the "standard language" for music, as I believe it is the individual terms that make the standard, not the language. I.e. things like p, mf, crescendo are standard terms. But "con garbado", or "schiettamente" aren't universally known by all musicians, and many will have to fetch a dictionary, so it makes little sense to me to use Italian in such cases, unless you are an Italian. I will describe such things either in my own language (German), or English if I expect people who don't speak German to perform it.

I've not always been very coherent in my choice of language though, and I've both used "sul ponticello" and "am Steg", "frullato" and "Flatterzunge", "con sordino" and "mit D

Just to answer your questions:

Tam-tam is a non-pitched percussion instrument. It is NOT the same instrument as a "gong", which is a pitched, metal plate. Part of the problem is that some orchestration books refer to the Tam-tam as "also known as a gong", and then proceed to speak about "..the tam-tam, or gong...". This is erroneous. They are two distinct instruments.

A tambourine is, in French, either tambourin, or tambour de Basques. I can't say I've ever come across any "tambourin provencal" in any scores. As far as I can tell, it has nothing at all to do with the tambourine (with the "jingles"). According to musical references I've looked up, it should also probably properly be called "tambour provencal".

Back to terminology: most musicians will come across pretty much all of the "standard" terminology at some point in their career. If you've only been studying music for a few years, you should not think that because you don't know a term that it is non-standard. It may simply mean you haven't come across it yet.

Many good beginner books have a glossary of musical terminology.

Just to answer your questions:

Tam-tam is a non-pitched percussion instrument. It is NOT the same instrument as a "gong", which is a pitched, metal plate. Part of the problem is that some orchestration books refer to the Tam-tam as "also known as a gong", and then proceed to speak about "..the tam-tam, or gong...". This is erroneous. They are two distinct instruments.

I'm aware of that. I was just referring to the fact that the term gong is often used for a tam-tam, even by well-known composers, which can create great confusion. The same applies to the tambourin, that is, for instance, used in Bizet's Arl

To be honest, I think Flzg. is the standard, rather than the Italian, in this case.

You aren't Italian, write your notes and tempo markings in English

OK - I'll write all my musical terms in Ulster-Scots. (I'm not English, why would I use English?)

Good luck playing it!

OK - I'll write all my musical terms in Ulster-Scots. (I'm not English, why would I use English?)

Good luck playing it!

Hah!

OK - I'll write all my musical terms in Ulster-Scots. (I'm not English, why would I use English?)

Good luck playing it!

Enigma variations!

OK - I'll write all my musical terms in Ulster-Scots. (I'm not English, why would I use English?)

Good luck playing it!

Exactly! As I said, who'd guess that '

With a lot of fantasy you can make a connection of "g

With a lot of fantasy you can make a connection of "g

Clearly that means "a tiger's leg", referring to the speed of a running tiger, meaning prestissimo!

EDIT: Ah, well, I just looked it up in a dictionary. "majestic, stately, grand" it said. Close enough though! Fitting to a tiger after all. :D

Nice try, but no cigar.

That would be 'Maestoso'. Ahh...

Exactly! As I said, who'd guess that '