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Benjamin Britten "Playful Pizzicato" from the Simple Symphony
Britten: Simple Symphony
Pizzicato and Other Musical Terms
Pizzicato is the Italian word for “plucked” -- it tells string players how to play their instruments at a given spot in the music. A lot of musical "traffic signals" are in Italian. This show has explanations and examples of some more of them.
For a fun description of some musical terms and expressions, check out this artwork by comic book illustrator Justin Green.
1. What is the Italian word for soft?
Pizzicato
Adagio
Mezzo
Forte
Piano
2.What does crescendo mean?
Slowing down
Getting louder
Stop
Repeat
Joyful
3. What word tells you to play short, sharp notes?
Andante
Vivace
Staccato
Presto
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