| |
| scherzo | fast movement, originally in triple time (literally, "joke") |
| semplice | simply |
| sempre | always |
| senza | without (e.g. senza ritardando, "without slowing down") |
| sforzando (sfz.) | strongly and suddenly accented (literally, "forced, reinforced") |
| slancio | impetus, dash |
| smorzando | dying away (literally, "deadening, toning down") |
| sordino | mute (e.g. con sordino, "with mute," senza sordino, "without mute") |
| sostenuto | sustained |
| sotto voce | very quiet (literally, "under the voice") |
| staccato | detached, separated (i.e. each note is sounded separately) |
| stringendo (string.) | hurrying, faster (literally, "drawing tight, squeezing") |
| subito (sub.) | Suddenly (literally, "immediately") |
| tacet | do not play (literally, "is silent") |
| tenuto | held (e.g. a note held for its full value or slightly longer) |
| tranquillo | tranquil |
| tremolo | rapid repetition of single note (literally, "quivering") |
| trill | rapidly alternating between two notes |
| troppo | too much (e.g. adagio ma non troppo, "slow but not too slow") |
| tutti | all together (literally, "all") |
