| |
L |
| Lacrimoso | (lit, tearfully.) Sadly |
| Lamentoso | Mournfully |
| Langsam (Ger.) | Slow |
| Largamente | Broadly |
| Larghetto | Less slow than largo |
| Largo | Slow and stately |
| Lebbaft (Ger.) | Lively |
| Legato | Smooth |
| Legatissimo | As smoothly as possible |
| Leggiero | Light, delicate |
| Legno | See col legno |
| Lent (Fr.) | Slow |
| Lento | Slow |
| L.H. (Eng.) | Left hand |
| Lied (Ger.) | Song |
| Lieder ohne Worte (Ger.) | Songs without words (Mendelssohn) |
| L'istesso tempo | (lit, the same speed.) The speed of the beat remains the same although the notation changes |
| Loco | (lit, place.) Notes are to be played at their normal pitch (after an indication to play them an octave higher or lower) |
| Lontano | As from a distance |
| Lunga pausa | A long pause |
| Lusingando | In a coaxing style |
| |
M |
| Ma | But |
| Ma non troppo | But not too much |
| Maestoso | Majestically |
| Mancando | Waning, dying away |
Main droite (Fr.)
Mano destra
M.D. | The right hand |
Main gauche (Fr.)
Mano sinistra
M.G. or M.S. | The left hand |
| Marcato | Marked, accented |
| Marcia | A march |
| Martellato | Hammered out |
| Marziale | Martial |
| Massig (Ger.) | Moderate |
| Meno | Less |
| Meno mosso | Less movement, slower at once |
| Mesto | Sadly |
| Mezza voce | (lit, half voice.) In an undertone |
Mezzo forte
mf | Moderately loud |
| Mezzo Piano | Moderately soft |
| Misterioso | Mysterious |
| Misura | (lit. measure.) Senza misura - in free time |
| Mit (Ger.) | With |
| Moderato | Moderate time |
| Moll (Ger.) | Minor |
| Molto | Much. Di molto, very much |
| Morendo | Dying away |
| Mosso | Moved, movement |
Moto
Movimento | Movement. Doppio movimento, twice as fast |
| MS. (Eng.) | Manuscript |
| Muta | Change, e.g. Muta D in C is a direction to the Timpani player in the orchestra to tune the drum previously in D, to C |
| |
N |
| Nicht (Ger.) | Not |
| Nobilmente | Nobly. A term much used by Elgar |
| Non | Not |
| Non tanto | Not so much |
| Non troppo | Not too much |
| |
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