P

Abbreviation for piano, soft.

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Pacato

Calm, quiet.

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Passing tones

Unaccented notes which move conjunctly between two chords to which they do not belong harmonically.

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Pausa

A rest.

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Pensieroso

Contemplative, thoughtful.

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Percussion family

Instruments made of sonorous material that produce sounds of definite or indefinite pitch when shaken or struck, including drums, rattles, bells, gongs, and xylophones.

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Perfect

A term used to label fourth, fifth, and octave intervals. It corresponds to the major, as given to seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths.

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Perfect authentic cadence

A special cadence in which both the dominant (V) and tonic (I) chords have their root in the bass and the soprano ascends of descends stepwise to the root of the tonic.

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Perfect cadence

The chordal progression of dominant to tonic, in a major key V-I, in minor V-i.

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Perfect interval

Interval of an octave, fifth, or fourth without alteration.

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Perfect pitch

The ability to hear and identify a note without any other musical support.

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Perfect plagal cadence

A plagal cadence in which the soprano note remains unchanged in the progression IV-I.

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Pesante

Heavy.

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Petite

Little.

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Peu a peu

Little by little.

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Phrase

A relatively short portion of a melodic line which expresses a musical idea, comparable to a line or sentence in poetry.

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Phrygian cadence

A harmonic close which originaled in the Phrygian mode as the final cadence. In modern usage, it is any transposition of the progression IV⁶ to V

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Pianissimo

Very soft.

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Pianississimo

Very, very soft; the softest common dynamic marking.

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Piano

Soft. Pianoforte.

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Pianoforte

"Soft-loud." A keyboard instrument, the full name for the piano, on which sound is produced by hammers striking strings when keys are pressed. It has 88 keys.

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Picardy third

The term for the raising of the third, making a major triad, in the final chord of a composition which is in a minor key. The practice originated about 1500 and extended through the Baroque period.

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Pitch

The highness or lowness of a tone, as determined by the number of vibrations in the sound.

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Piu

More. Used with other terms, e.g. piu mosso, more motion.

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Pizzicato

"Pinched." On string instruments, plucking the string.

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Plagal cadence

Sometimes called the "amen" cadence because it is often used at the end of hymns. The chordal progression of subdominant to tonic, in a major key IV-I, in minor iv-i.

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Poco

Little. Used with other terms, e.g. poco accel., also, poco a poco, little by little.

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Poco ced., Cedere

A little slower.

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Poco piu mosso

A little more motion.

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Poi

Then or afterwards, e.g. poi No. 3, then No. 3.

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Postlude

"Play after." The final piece in a multi-movement work. Organ piece played at the end of a church service.

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Prelude

"Play before." An introductory movement or piece.

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Premiere

First performance.

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Prestissimo

Very, very fast. The fastest tempo.

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Presto

Very quick.

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Primo

First.

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Principal

Instrumental section leader.

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Prologue

An introductory piece that presents the background for an opera.