| Term | Description |
|---|
| cadenza | a solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, that is used to display the performer's technique, sometimes at considerable length |
| calando | falling away, or lowering; i.e., getting slower and quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo |
| calore | warmth; so con calore, warmly |
| cambiare | to change; i.e., any change, such as to a new instrument |
| cantabile or cantando | in a singing style |
| capo | head; i.e., the beginning (of a movement, normally) |
| capriccioso | capriciously, unpredictable, volatile |
| cédez (Fr) | yield, give way |
| cesura or caesura | break, stop; i.e., a complete break in sound (sometimes called "railroad tracks") |
| chiuso | closed; i.e., muted by hand (for a horn, or similar instrument; but see also bocca chiusa, which uses the feminine form, in this list) |
| coda | a tail; i.e., a closing section appended to a movement |
| codetta | a small coda, but usually applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to a whole movement |
| col, colla | with the (col before a masculine noun, colla before a feminine noun); (see next for example) |
| colla parte | with the soloist |
| colla voce | with the voice |
| col legno | with the wood; i.e., the strings (for example, of a violin) are to be struck with the wood of the bow; also battuta col legno: beaten with the wood |
| coloratura | coloration; i.e., elaborate ornamentation of a vocal line, or (especially) a soprano voice suited to such elaboration |
| colossale | tremendously |
| col pugno | with the fist; i.e., bang the piano with the fist |
| come prima | like the first (time); i.e., as before, typically referring to an earlier tempo |
| come sopra | as above; i.e., like the previous tempo (usually) |
| common time | the time signature 4/4: four beats per measure, each beat a quarter note (a crotchet) in length. 4/4 is often written on the musical staff as 'C'. The symbol is not a C as an abbreviation for common time, but a broken circle. The full circle at one time stood for triple time, 3/4. |
| comodo | comfortable; i.e., at moderate speed; also, allegro comodo, tempo comodo, etc. |
| con | with; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con amore (with tenderness); (see also col, colla, above) |
| con amore or con amor | with love, tenderly |
| con affetto | with affect (that is, with emotion) |
| con brio | with spirit, with vigour |
| con dolore | with sadness |
| con (gran, molto) espressione | with (great, much) expression |
| con fuoco | with fire, in a fiery manner |
| con larghezza | with broadness; broadly |
| con moto | with motion |
| con slancio | with enthusiasm |
| con sordina | with a mute; or with mutes; compare senza sordina in this list; see also Sordina. Note: sordina, with plural sordine, is strictly correct Italian, but the forms con sordino and con sordini are much more commonly used as terms in music. |
| con sordino | see con sordina, above |
| coperti | covered; i.e., on a drum, muted with a cloth |
| crescendo | growing; i.e., progressively louder (contrast diminuendo) |
| cut time | same as the meter 2/2: two half-note (minim) beats per measure. Notated and executed like common time (4/4), except with the beat lengths doubled. Indicated by three quarters of a circle with a vertical line through it, which resembles the cent symbol '¢'. This comes from a literal cut of the 'C' symbol of common time. Thus, a quarter note in cut time is only half a beat long, and a measure has only two beats. See also alla breve. |
