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A reference guide to the Italian terms, notation symbols, key signatures and cadences most commonly tested at GCSE.
GCSE exams commonly test Italian musical terms. Tempo terms include allegro (fast), andante (walking pace), adagio (slow) and presto (very fast), along with accelerando (getting faster) and rallentando (getting slower). Dynamic terms include piano (quiet), forte (loud), pianissimo (very quiet), fortissimo (very loud), crescendo (getting louder) and diminuendo (getting quieter).
Articulation describes how notes are played or sung. Legato means notes should be played smoothly and connected, while staccato means notes should be short and detached. Accents mark individual notes for emphasis, and a fermata (pause symbol) shows that a note should be held longer than its written value.
A key signature shows which notes are consistently sharpened or flattened throughout a piece, indicating its key. For example, G major has one sharp (F sharp), D major has two sharps (F sharp and C sharp), and F major has one flat (B flat). Being able to recognise key signatures quickly helps with both listening and notation-based exam questions.
A time signature shows how many beats are in each bar and what note value counts as one beat. In 4/4, there are four crotchet beats per bar. In 3/4, there are three crotchet beats per bar, often used for waltzes. In 6/8, there are six quaver beats per bar, usually grouped in two sets of three, giving a compound, lilting feel.
A cadence is a chord progression that creates a sense of pause or ending at the close of a phrase. A perfect cadence (chord V to chord I) sounds final and resolved. An imperfect cadence ends on chord V and sounds unfinished. A plagal cadence (chord IV to chord I) has a softer, \"amen\"-like resolution. An interrupted cadence (chord V to chord vi) creates a surprising, unresolved effect.