ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory: New Terms You Need to Know
Fun memory tricks to help you remember Italian and German musical terms for the ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam
Some Grade 5 musical terms are easy to understand but surprisingly difficult to remember. This page turns the trickier Italian and German words into characters, actions and funny pictures so that you have something memorable to attach to each meaning.
The main memory story is set in a very strange music school. Picture each scene in your head and the musical meaning should become much easier to recall.
🇮🇹 Italian Musical Terms: The Strange Music School Story
Imagine walking into the strangest music school in the world. Every room contains a character, object or action that helps you remember a Grade 5 musical term.
🫥 A NIÈNTE — to nothing
Picture this: A musical note is floating through the air. It gradually gets smaller and smaller until it completely disappears.
🎵 → 🔉 → 🔈 → 🔇 → 🫥
Remember: A NIÈNTE → away to nothing.
🕊️ AD LIBITUM / AD LIB. — freely
Picture this: A musician is standing in front of a giant open door. They are completely free to choose which way to go.
🚪 🕊️ 🎵
Remember: AD LIB → at liberty → free.
🚨 ATTACCA — straight on, without a break
Picture this: An orchestra finishes one piece. Before anyone can stop, the conductor shouts “ATTACK-A!” and the next piece starts immediately.
🎼 → 🎼 → 🎼
Remember: ATTACCA → “attack-a!” → straight on without a break.
🎤 CANTANDO — singing
Picture this: A student called Canta walks into the music room singing loudly instead of speaking.
👩🎤 🎶 🎤
Remember: CANTANDO → CANTA → singing.
😢 CON DOLORE — with sorrow
Picture this: A musician is playing the piano while tears roll down their face.
🎹 😢 💧
Remember: DOLORE → sorrow and pain.
😭 DOLOROSO — sorrowfully
Picture this: The entire music school has suddenly become sad. Everyone is playing mournfully.
🎻 😭 🎹 😢 🎼
Remember: DOLOROSO → sorrowfully.
👻 CON SPIRITO — with spirit
Picture this: A friendly ghost bursts into the music room and starts dancing energetically.
👻 💃 🎵
Remember: SPIRITO → spirit → lively energy.
🙆♂️ LARGAMENTE — broadly
Picture this: Larry walks into the room and stretches his arms as wide as possible.
👨🦱 ← 🙆♂️ →
Remember: LARRY goes LARGE → LARGAMENTE → broadly.
🕯️ MORENDO — dying away
Picture this: A candle flame becomes weaker and weaker until it finally dies away.
🕯️ → 🔥 → 🕯️ → 🌫️
Remember: MORENDO → dying away.
🌲 PERDENDOSI — fading away / losing itself
Picture this: A little musician walks into a huge forest and gets lost. Their music becomes quieter and disappears into the distance.
🧑🎵 → 🌲🌲🌲 → 🌫️
Remember: PERDENDOSI → getting lost → fading away.
🏁 QUASI — almost
Picture this: A runner is one tiny step away from the finish line.
🏃♀️ → 🏁
Remember: QUASI → almost there!
💪 RINFORZANDO — strengthening
Picture this: A tiny musician suddenly puts on a superhero costume and becomes much stronger.
🧑🎵 → 🦸♂️💪 → 🎵
Remember: RINFORZANDO → reinforce → strengthen.
🔐 RF / RFZ. / RINF. — abbreviations for rinforzando
Picture this: The superhero is in a hurry and writes secret codes instead of writing the whole word.
🦸♂️ 🔐 RF → RFZ. → RINF.
Remember: RF, RFZ. and RINF. are shortened forms of RINFORZANDO.
🕯️ SMORZANDO / SMORZ. — dying away / becoming softer
Picture this: Someone gently smothers a candle. The flame becomes smaller and softer until it disappears.
🕯️ → 🤏🔥 → 🌫️
Remember: SMORZANDO → think of a candle being smothered → dying away and becoming softer.
🔔 SONORO — resonant / sonorous
Picture this: A huge golden bell rings through the music school. The sound is rich, full and resonant.
🔔 🔊 🎶
Remember: SONORO → a big, ringing, resonant sound.
🤫 SOTTO VOCE — softly
Picture this: The teacher puts a finger to their lips and whispers so quietly that everyone has to lean closer to hear.
👩🏫 🤫 🗣️
Remember: SOTTO VOCE → “under the voice” → softly or quietly.
🎬 Now Play the Whole Italian Story in Your Head
Imagine the whole thing as one strange little film:
🫥 The sound fades A NIÈNTE — to nothing.
🕊️ A student is given complete freedom to play AD LIBITUM.
🚨 Suddenly the conductor shouts ATTACCA! and the orchestra goes straight on without a break.
🎤 CANTANDO arrives singing.
😢 Everyone becomes sad and plays CON DOLORE and DOLOROSO.
👻 A friendly ghost appears CON SPIRITO, full of energy.
🙆♂️ Larry stretches his arms LARGAMENTE.
🕯️ A candle begins MORENDO, dying away.
🌲 A little character gets lost, PERDENDOSI, and the sound fades into the distance.
🏁 The student is QUASI at the finish line — almost there!
🦸♂️ The superhero arrives RINFORZANDO, making the music stronger.
🔐 He writes the secret codes RF, RFZ. and RINF.
🕯️ The candle continues SMORZANDO, becoming softer and dying away.
🔔 A huge bell rings SONORO.
🤫 Finally, the teacher whispers SOTTO VOCE.
🇩🇪 German Musical Terms: The Quick Memory Story
Now six strange characters enter the same music room.
🐌 LANGSAM — slowly
Picture this: Sam is walking incredibly slowly. Everyone is waiting for him.
🐌 🚶♂️ 🐌
Remember: LANGSAM → “Slow Sam” → slowly.
🥳 LEBHAFT — lively
Picture this: Leb bursts into the room dancing, jumping and full of energy.
🥳 💃 🕺 🎉
Remember: LEBHAFT → lively and energetic.
⚖️ MÄSSIG — moderately
Picture this: The teacher is trying to balance two things perfectly — not too much and not too little.
⚖️ 👍 ↔️ 👍
Remember: MÄSSIG → moderate.
😴 RUHIG — calmly / quietly
Picture this: Everyone sits quietly in a peaceful room. Nothing is moving.
😴 🤫 🧘
Remember: RUHIG → calm and quiet.
🏎️ SCHNELL — quickly / fast
Picture this: Suddenly everyone jumps into racing cars and zooms away.
🏎️💨 🏎️💨 🏎️💨
Remember: SCHNELL → fast!
🐯 TRAURIG — sadly
Picture this: A sad tiger is sitting alone after everyone else has gone home.
🐯 😢 💧
Remember: TRAURIG → sad.
🎬 The German Story in One Go
🐌 LANGSAM: Slow Sam walks into the music room.
🥳 LEBHAFT: Leb bursts in, full of energy.
⚖️ MÄSSIG: The teacher tells everyone to calm down and play moderately.
😴 RUHIG: The room becomes calm and quiet.
🏎️ SCHNELL: Suddenly everyone speeds away.
🐯 TRAURIG: A sad tiger is left behind, crying.
📚 Grade 5 Terms: Quick Revision Table
| Term | Meaning | Picture Memory |
|---|---|---|
| A NIÈNTE | to nothing | 🫥 Disappearing sound |
| AD LIBITUM / AD LIB. | freely | 🕊️ Freedom |
| ATTACCA | straight on | 🚨 No stopping |
| CANTANDO | singing | 🎤 Canta sings |
| CON DOLORE | with sorrow | 😢 Tears |
| DOLOROSO | sorrowfully | 😭 Sad music |
| CON SPIRITO | with spirit | 👻 Dancing ghost |
| LARGAMENTE | broadly | 🙆♂️ Larry goes LARGE |
| MORENDO | dying away | 🕯️ Dying candle |
| PERDENDOSI | fading away / losing itself | 🌲 Lost in the forest |
| QUASI | almost | 🏁 Almost there |
| RINFORZANDO | strengthening | 🦸♂️ Superhero strength |
| RF / RFZ. / RINF. | abbreviations for rinforzando | 🔐 Secret codes |
| SMORZANDO / SMORZ. | dying away / softer | 🕯️ Smothered candle |
| SONORO | resonant / sonorous | 🔔 Big ringing bell |
🧠 Your Final Memory Challenge
Cover the meanings in the table and see how many you can remember from the pictures alone.
Can you picture:
- 🫥 the sound fading to A NIÈNTE?
- 🕊️ someone choosing freely AD LIBITUM?
- 🚨 the orchestra going straight on with ATTACCA?
- 🙆♂️ Larry stretching his arms LARGAMENTE?
- 🕯️ the candle MORENDO and SMORZANDO?
- 🦸♂️ the superhero RINFORZANDO the music?
- 🔔 the bell sounding SONORO?
- 🤫 the teacher whispering SOTTO VOCE?
- 🐌 Slow Sam moving LANGSAM?
- 🥳 Leb being LEBHAFT?
- 😴 the room becoming RUHIG?
- 🏎️ the racing cars going SCHNELL?
- 🐯 the tiger feeling TRAURIG?
The stranger the picture, the easier the word is to remember.
