[Guide] ABRSM Grade 1 Musical Terms: English Glossary

Musical terms become much easier to learn when students can see exactly what belongs to the grade they are preparing. This Grade 1 glossary keeps the vocabulary focused: first the terms that are new at this level, then the full Grade 1 study list.

It follows the same format as the ABRSM Grade 5 musical terms glossary, but with a smaller vocabulary set for Grade 1. Related lists: Grade 2, Grade 5.

For the wider Grade 5 exam context, read this alongside ABRSM Music Theory Grade 5: what students need to learn.

How to Use This List

Use the “what is new” table when moving up from the previous grade, then use the full table for revision. Students should learn each word as a musical instruction, not only as a translation.

A simple routine works well:

• say the term aloud
• write the meaning in your own words
• find the marking in a real piece
• decide whether it changes speed, volume, character, articulation, or score direction
• test both ways: term to meaning, and meaning to term

Grade 1 Terms

Grade 1 has 27 terms in this study list.

Full Grade 1 Term List

Term	English meaning
lento	Slow
accelerando / accel.	Gradually getting faster
adagio	Slow
allegretto	Fairly quick
allegro	Fast
andante	At a walking pace
moderato	Moderate speed
rallentando / rall.	Gradually getting slower
ritardando / ritard. / rit.	Gradually getting slower
tempo	Speed, time
dynamics	Dynamics; loudness and softness
crescendo / cresc.	Gradually getting louder
decrescendo / decresc.	Gradually getting quieter
diminuendo / dim.	Gradually getting quieter
f / forte	Loud
ff / fortissimo	Very loud
mf / mezzo forte	Moderately loud
mp / mezzo piano	Moderately quiet
p / piano	Quiet
cantabile	In a singing style
da capo / D.C.	Repeat from beginning
dal segno / D.S.	Repeat from the sign
fine	The end
legato	Smoothly
mezzo	Half
poco	A little
staccato / stacc.	Detached

Final Thought

The aim is not to memorise a longer and longer foreign-language list. The aim is to read a score with more confidence. When students understand what these words ask them to do, theory study starts to support real playing and listening.