Chorus Vocabulary P - R
55. phrase - a single musical idea
56. pianissimo (pp) - very soft
57. piano (p) - soft
58. pizzicato (pizz.) – strings are plucked with fingers rather than bowed
59. poco a poco - little by little
60. portamento –the voice glides through all the pitches
61. prestissimo – as fast as possible
62. primo – first or upper part
63. psalm – a musical composition whose text is taken from the Book of Psalms
64. rallentando (rall.) - slowing down; the same as ritardando
65. ritardando (rit.) - slowing down gradually
66. ritenuto – the same as ritardando but used to describe a marked reduction of tempo
67. rubato - making the music flexible by accelerating and slowing down the tempo