Terminology

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• lacrimoso – tearfully; i.e., sadly
• lamentando – lamenting, mournfully
• lamentoso – lamenting, mournfully
• langsam (Ger) – slowly
• largamente – broadly; i.e., slowly (same as largo)
• larghetto – somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo
• Larghissimo – very slowly; slower than largo
• largo – broadly; i.e., slowly
• lay out – a jazz term which is the equivalent of the Classical term tacet; it instructs the player to cease playing for a section or tune.
• lebhaft (Ger) – briskly, lively
• legato – joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation)
• leggiero – lightly, delicately
• lent (Fr) – slowly
• lento – slowly
• liberamente – freely
• libero – free, freely
• l'istesso – see lo stesso, below
• loco – [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the pitch written (generally used to cancel an 8va direction)
• lontano – from a distance; distantly
• lo stesso (or commonly, but ungrammatically, l'istesso) – the same; applied to the manner of articulation, tempo, etc.
• lugubre – lugubrious, mournful
• luminoso – luminously
• lusingando – coaxingly