Terminology

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Listing by Name { R }

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• rallentando or rall. – Broadening of the tempo (often not discernible from ritardando); progressively slower
• rapido – fast
• rasch (Ger) – fast
• religioso – religiously
• repente – suddenly
• restez (Fr) – stay; i.e., remain on a note or string
• rinforzando (rf) – reinforced; i.e., emphasized; sometimes like a sudden crescendo, but often applied to a single note
• risoluto – resolutely
• rit. – an abbreviation for ritardando; also an abbreviation for ritenuto
• ritardando, ritard., rit. – slowing down; decelerating; opposite of accelerando (see in this list)
• ritenuto, riten., rit. – held back; i.e., slower (usually more so but more temporarily than a ritardando, and it may, unlike ritardando, apply to a single note)
• rolled chord – see arpeggiato in this list
• roulade (Fr) – a rolling; i.e., a florid vocal phrase
• rubato – robbed; i.e., flexible in tempo, applied to notes within a musical phrase for expressive effect
• ruvido – roughly
• rondo five parts - A:B:A:C:A