Lento, pronto, presto ....

Where can I find the meanings of these kind of terms?

Thanks,

Try an italian dictionary.

Regards, Tjako van Schie, pianist

I mean the meaning in a musical way. Like how to play them.

'Tjako van Schie' < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it > schreef in bericht

Hi Floris:

Lento is literally 'slow' in Italian.

Presto means 'very fast'

As far as I know 'pronto' is not a musical term. It's Spanish, not Italian and means something like 'soon', not 'fast'.

Many tempo markings are very subjective and open to debate, like 'andantino', but lento and presto are at the extreme ends of the tempo range and are pretty clear-cut.

Incidentally, you might want to invest in a music dictionary. It will define all of the markings you see in written music. I personally have a copy of the Harvard Dictionary of Music and consult it all the time.

Hope this helps!

Don

Get a music dictionary. I use the 'Essential Dictionary of Music' by Alfred with my students. It's fine for all the basic markings and information you'll need through an intermediate level. Sticker price $5.95

I use

The Golden Encyclopedia of Music by Norman LLoyd

It is out of print, but you can buy it real cheap on Amazon. The hard cover is a big, 1 inch thick book with lots of illustrations.

Does anyone know of a good internet site? C. C. Chang; more on piano practice at

My Italian sister-in-law always answers the phone with the word 'pronto'. I think it means 'get on with it'.

No, I feel pretty sure it means 'ready' in Italian. It is the usual greeting on the telephone. Spelled as shown it means 'I am ready'. Rather like the Brit 'Are you there?' Do they still say that??

I get a lot of my foreign language expertise from old movies like westerns. And as far as I am concerned, from the context, pronto means quick as in 'We got to get away from that posse pronto, Jesse.' LOL TS

Floris,

seeing as you're in Holland I would recommend 'Vreemde woorden in de muziek' by Ton van de Valk, pblshd Wolters-Nordhoff, ISBN 90-01-88398-2. Costs about 9 euros in a music bookshop

Hmmmm, Kemosabe

Hmmmm, Pronto ;0)