prima – Definition in music

Definition of the Italian term prima in music:

first (ordinal number)
chief, principal
prime (the note of the first degree of a diatonic scale)
root note (the first note of a chord or scale)
tonic (the first degree of a scale scale or key)
the top string on a string instrument
before
formerly, once, earlier
sooner

Language

Italian

Singular

prima

Plural

prime

Abbreviation

1ª

Alt. abbreviations

1.1a1^ma1maIªI.I^ma

Synonyms

(1) primo(2) primo(3) primo grado

Italian musical terms that include prima:

a prima – at first, from the beginning
a prima vista – at first sight (referring to the practice of readi...
cantare a prima vista – to sing at first sight
come prima – as before, as at first
nella prima pagina – on the first page
nella prima parte – in the first part
opera prima – first work, debut work
parte prima – first part
pedale come nella prima parte – pedal like in the first part
poco meno che prima – a little less than first
prima aumentata – augmented unison (interval of one half step)
prima ballerina – the most important female dancer in a ballet compa...
prima corda – first string
prima diminuita – diminished unison (interval of one half step)
prima donna – prima donna (principal female singer in an opera o...
prima eccedente – augmented unison (interval of one half step)
prima edizione – first edition
prima esecuzione – first performance
prima giusta – perfect unison (interval of zero half steps, a rep...
prima metà – first half
prima nota – first note (such as the first note of a scale or b...
prima parte – first part
prima sinfonia – first symphony
prima vista – first sight (referring to the practice of reading ...
prima volta – first time (the first ending of a repeated musical...
sempre come prima – always as before, always as at first

Music scores that include prima:

Arcangelo Corelli: 12 Violin Sonatas (1700) Page 1
Franco Alfano: Suite romantica (1910) Page 1
Gabriel Fauré: Pavane (1887) Page 1
Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem (1874‑1875) Page 4
Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin: Le pardon (ca. 1877) Page 2
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Castor et Pollux (1737) Page 2
Johann Sebastian Bach: Geist und Seele wird verwirret (1726) Page 1
José Ferrer: L’Étudiant de Salamanque (1898) Page 2
Ludwig van Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata (1802) Page 4
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6: IV. Finale (1893) Page 2

Italian musical terms related to prima:

decima
decimo – tenth (ordinal number)...
dodicesima – twelfth (ordinal number)...
dodicesimo – twelfth (ordinal number)...
nona – ninth (interval of nine degrees, equal to an octav...
nono – ninth (ordinal number)...
ottava – eighth (ordinal number)...
ottavo – eighth (ordinal number)...
primo – first (ordinal number)...
quarta
quarto – fourth (ordinal number)...
quattordicesima – fourteenth (ordinal number)...
quattordicesimo – fourteenth (ordinal number)...
quindicesima – fifteenth (ordinal number)...
quindicesimo – fifteenth (ordinal number)...
quinta – fifth (ordinal number)...
quinto – fifth (ordinal number)...
seconda – second (ordinal number)...
secondo – second (ordinal number)...
sedicesima – sixteenth (ordinal number)...
sedicesimo – sixteenth (ordinal number)...
sesta – sixth (ordinal number)...
sesto – sixth (ordinal number)...
settima – seventh (ordinal number)...
settimo – seventh (ordinal number)...
terza – third (ordinal number)...
terzo – third (ordinal number)...
tredicesima – thirteenth (ordinal number)...
tredicesimo – thirteenth (ordinal number)...
undicesima – eleventh (ordinal number)...
undicesimo – eleventh (ordinal number)...