Can any1 help me with classical music terms? (piano)?

Question:I am playing chopin waltz #7 on piano and would like to master it and play it like a professional would but I've got hang ups on timing. What is Piu mosso and tempo giusto is there a site that defines these terms for musicians?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am playing chopin waltz #7 on piano and would like to master it and play it like a professional would but I've got hang ups on timing. What is Piu mosso and tempo giusto is there a site that defines these terms for musicians?

With any waltz by Chopin the key to performance is not to play it too fast... Remember, a waltz is a dance, and therefore the tempo must resemble something that one can dance too.

Since it is stylized and the music is from the Romantic Generation, the importance of rubato to expand the phrases is necessary. There should still be a good sense and feel for the waltz when using rubato. If you lose the sense of the waltz then your tempo is incorrect and/or your use of rubato is inappropriate. Rhythm is what drives music and even with expansiveness in the phrase, the rhythmic element must still be present.

There should also be a sense of grace and charm in a Chopin Waltz. To really play this piece like a "master" as you would say it, you will have to study the waltz, understand the Viennese waltz and what other composers did with it. In terms of Chopin, you will have to understand his harmonic structure and build up of melodic material. Study in Chopin will also be beneficial to you understanding this piece. Just because you play a piece does not mean you will play it at its best. To fully understand a piece and play it the way a composer intended, you will have to become intimate with the composer.

Avoid over pedaling in a piece like this. Pedal is not for legato, so practice with out pedal to join the L.H. harmonies and to have finger legato the R.H. melodies. Pedal is only for color! You can use pedal to enhance harmonic moments or to blur colors, but not for legato. Pedal doesn't create legato. a true legato is accomplished by listening and using the fingers.

piu mosso - A directive to a performer that the music of the indicated passage should have more motion, it should move more quickly.

tempo giusto - A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition in exact, strict time or a return to the regular tempo.

In terms of Chopin, these markings are indicative towards using rubato. More movement - really means expand the phrase and build to a climax. Tempo giusto for Chopin, especially in the waltz means to maintain the waltz feel by keeping the rhythm and energy. In no means does it mean to play strict and metronomic.

Markings are different for all composers. You have to know what the composers meant by each marking. Performance directions were not all the same across Europe so one definition can mean two things. They are usually composer specific. There is often a general definition, but to really perform the piece you must understand the intent of the term in reference to the composer. It is not as simple as translating it.

Piu mosso: With movement (i.e. faster, animated).
Tempo giusto: Exact time.

As the directions "piu mosso" and "tempo giusto" suggest, sometimes you have to follow strict time, and other times you need to slow down or speed up as indicated. It depends a lot on the composer and piece, but as a general rule of thumb, older music like from the Renaissance or Baroque era you have be very precise with your time. With later pieces - Romantic era and beyond - the performer is more at liberty to interpret the timing as he or she pleases.