Italian in music

Italian is still, after centuries of service, the language of many titles, indications of tempo and expression of many scores posted in YC. As an Italian mothertongue, sometime I find mistakes in YC posts. It might be that non-Italian users could be interested in having some advice, from Italian mothertongues, about the correct spelling, or to have hints about the choice of better words or phrases to be used in their works.

Musical Italian is very different than real spoken Italian. For example, Allegro means fast, not "happy" or "joyful" in music (usually.)

Musical Italian is very different than real spoken Italian. For example, Allegro means fast, not "happy" or "joyful" in music (usually.)

True, although in Italian "allegro" means also "bright" (e.g., for colors) which is perhaps nearer to the musical term. Some terms maintained in music their original eigtheenth century meaning, which is today lost in current Italian: for example, "divertimento" in music is related to "to go away" whereas in modern Italian a divertimento is something light and amusing. But most musical terms have still the same meaning in contemporary Italian language.

My Mothertongue is Spanish

I think I've written sometimes,

"con legno" ... is it "col legno" ?

"con sordina" "con sordino" ?

what are the ones you've seen wrong ?

But I only use it when Italian is the best language for that word, I write many in english (most textual indications like "Use bright mouthpiece") others in Spanish, in German I think only "Flatterzunge" (is it correct ?) and "Langsam", I think I've written some in french but I don't recall which ones...

I used to write "I y II" for instruments I don't do it anymore

"con legno" ... is it "col legno" ?

"con sordina" "con sordino" ?

"col" is a composed preposition, a contraction of "con il" (with the)

so in my opinion I would write "col legno"

Regarding "sordina" or "sordino": in Italian the mute is "sordina" (but "sordino" is often written: this may be one case Tokkemon told about, that international indications can be different from standard Italian).

The indication "senza sordino" with the piano is an obsolete term to say "depress the resonance pedal" (so what is now written "Ped."). For example in Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata, the score tells "si deve suonare tutto questo pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino", that is to play the movement with the resonance pedal down from the beginning to the end of the piece (Beethoven's pianos were different from today's, the resonance went down quickly anyway, so no pedal resets were necessary).

Using Italian in music is so boring.

Personally I think it would be much more interesting to use something like Latin. Or Chinese.

I'm just saying, if you speak English, and the performers speak English, can't you be so much more descriptive if you can just say what the hell you want instead of trying to find the right Italian word for it?

I made the switch to English for my music, and decided to forego italian except for the tempo markings... I second your comment, and would also like to add it is a pain to read scores when they are in Russian :santa: