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A great many musical terms are in Italian. It shouldn't be surprising that so many musical terms are Italian, since many of the most important early composers in the renaissance period were Italian, and that period is when numerous musical indications were used extensively for the first time. (See also sheet music.)
Here are some of these expressions:
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| Italian term | Literal translation | Definition |
| A cappella* | in chapel style | Sung with no accompaniment |
| Aria | air | A song, esp. one from an opera |
| Arietta | little air | A short or light aria |
| Ballabile | danceable | (song) to be danced to |
| Battaglia | battle | A piece suggesting a battle |
| Bergamasca | from Bergamo | A peasant dance from Bergamo |
| Burletta | a little joke | A light comic or farcical opera |
| Cadenza | falling | A florid solo at the end of a performance |
| Capriccio | caprice | A lively piece of music |
| Coda | tail | The end of a piece |
| Concerto | concert | A work for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra |
| Concertino | little concert | A short concerto; the solo instrument in a concerto. |
| Concerto grosso | big concert | A Baroque form of concerto |
| LibrettoA libretto is body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, oratorio, or musical. It includes the lyrics to the musical numbers as well as any spoken passages. The word libretto comes from Italian, and means "little book. | little book | A work containing the words to an opera or musical |
| OperaCharles Garnier's Opera, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. The drama is presented using the typical elements of theater such as scenery, costumes, and acting. However, the words of the opera, | work | A drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists |
| Opera buffaOpera buffa (comic opera), also known as Commedia per musica (musical comedy), or Dramma giocoso per musica (musical dramatic comedy), is a form of opera. A sub- genre of lyric opera Opera buffa developed in Naples in Italy in the first half of 18th centu | humorous opera | A comic opera |
| Opera seriaOpera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and 'serious' style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1720s to ca 1770. The only popular rival to opera seria was opera buffa the 'comic' opera that took its cue from the | serious opera | An opera with a serious, esp. classical theme |
| SonataSonata (From Latin and Italian sonare 'to sound'), in music, literally means a piece "played" as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare to sing), a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of form | sounded | A composition for one or two instruments in sonata formSonata form or sonata-allegro form is a musical form, a way of organising a work of music. The original idea of a central organizing form has been very widely used by classical composers since the 18th century. It was considered to be the standard form fo |
| IntermezzoFor Intermezzo the opera by Richard Strauss premiered in 1924: see Intermezzo (opera In music, an intermezzo in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger | interval | A short connecting instrumental movement |