Term for "shyly" ?

Originally Posted by Daniel

Where I live, it's pretty much a necessity to write your musical terms in Italian. It's just the done thing.

Why, do you live in Italy?

No, I live in a country where Italian is the standard for communication on a score.

To get slightly technical: if you use english terminology for one thing, then you must use english terminology for ALL things in your score. This is one of the basic rules of engraving. Do not switch to mutiple languages for score expressions within the same score.

That makes sense, but you still have to draw a line in most cases. I.e. even if you used english terminology you'd probably use "p" for piano instead of "softly", and even "pizzicato" instead of "plucked" or "vibrato" instead of "wavering". Glancing through a couple of scores I have here I can barely find any that just use a single language for musical indications (well, Italian composers are often exceptions of this). Being too strict about just using a single language can make certain things needlessly complicated.

Esitazione = tentatively
Con cautela = with caution
Nervosamente = (you can guess!)
Furtivamente = (again, it's a cognate)
Timidamente = means 'timidly' rather than just 'timid'

Nervosamente is the best.

Originally Posted by QcCowboy

To get slightly technical: if you use english terminology for one thing, then you must use english terminology for ALL things in your score. This is one of the basic rules of engraving. Do not switch to mutiple languages for score expressions within the same score.

Stravinsky would disagree. But then again, he's also dead.

Schumann used both German and Italian in his markings.

Originally Posted by spherenine

Stravinsky would disagree. But then again, he's also dead.

*Wonders if he's the only that laughed at that*

Originally Posted by spherenine

Stravinsky would disagree. But then again, he's also dead.

But then, Strawinski wasn't an engraver nor a publisher, now was he. If Strawinski had jumped off a bridge, would you go and do it too?

Why copy the bad habits of another composer when the good habits are there for you to learn?

No, I live in a country where Italian is the standard for communication on a score.

There are no exact "standards". There are equally as many scores written in German, Italian, French and English.

As Qccowboy said, it's important not to mix the terms. It would be quite silly to say "Un poco allegretto and cheerful". Also, Gardener, you're just being too picky There are a few things that are terribly standardised, like dynamics and technical terms (sul ponticello, arco, pizzicatto, although I have seen the respective terms in German, but I guess that's a tendency of the Germans, using German for every-single-thing ). But for example, Birtwistle's scores are all in English, Lachenmann's are all in German, Messiaen's are all in French etc. It also depends largely on the editor/engraver and the publishing company.

But I do believe that using Italian terms is a bit silly, when something is more easily understood by writing it in English or another language.