Orchestra Vocabulary

What is the term that means to gradually get louder?

• Crescendo
• Decrescendo
• allegro
• accelerando

What is the term that means to gradually get softer?

• Crescendo
• Decrescendo or diminuendo
• piano
• ritardando

What is the term that means to gradually slow down?

• decrescendo
• diminuendo
• accelerando
• ritardando or rallantando

What is the term that means to gradually get faster? 

• ritardando
• rallantando
• accelerando
• crescendo

What does the fermata tell us to do?

• Gradually speed up
• Gradually slow down
• Hold the note until the conductor releases it.
• Play the note really short.

What does the caesura tell us to do?

• break/ pause between phrases
• hold the note out
• slow down
• lift the bow

What does the lift sign tell us to do? Check the BEST answer.

• lift the bow from tip to frog
• lift the bow to the correct placement for the next bowing
• lift the bow from frog to tip
• break/ pause until the conductor says to play

What does D.C. al Fine mean?

• Go back to the beginning and play to the Fine (ending).
• Go back to the sign and play to the end.
• Go back to the beginning and play to the coda.
• Go back to the sign and play to the coda.

What does D.S. al coda mean?

• Go back to the beginning and play to the fine
• Go back to the sign and play to the end
• Go back to the beginning and play to the coda
•  Go back to the segno (sign), play to the coda sign, jump to the coda

Playing in orchestra is like reading a different language while dancing, but we love it!

• True
• False