"A Cappella," "A Due," "A Piacere," and "A Tempo": Music Performance Aids

A cappella, a due, a piacere, and a tempo are common music terms that musicians must understand to be able to read and interpret a wide range of music correctly. Here are the performance meanings of those and similar music terms.

A is an all-purpose Italian preposition meaning "at, by, for, in, to, with," as in a cappella and a piacere.

A battuta is Italian for "at beat," that is, "at the established beat" of a musical composition. Battuta comes from the Italian verb battere ("to beat"), in turn from Latin battere ("to beat"). A battuta indicates a return to strict time after some deviation, such as a slowing down or a speeding up (see also a tempo).

A cappella is Italian for "in a chapel style." The term pertains to choral music and means without instrumental accompaniment. Originally the term referred to unaccompanied church music, but today it is used for both sacred and secular choral music.

When serious modern musicology was in its early stages, in the 19th century, most historians believed that all choral music before 1600 was a cappella. However, during the 20th century, studies showed that instruments played a major role in the performance of much early music, often, for example, as ad libitum additions to, or substitutions for, voice parts.

A capriccio is Italian for "at caprice," that is, "at the performer's caprice," or impulsive whim. This direction allows any interpretation that appeals to the performer.

A due is Italian for "by two." It has two valid yet opposite meanings in music where two parts are notated on the same staff.

(1) Play together. A due is here a direction for both players to play the same notated part, that is, in unison.

(2) Play separately. A due is here a direction for the players to play separate parts, a direction synonymous with divisi.

A due mani means "for two hands" in Italian.

A due voci means "for two voices" in Italian.

A piacere is Italian for "at pleasure," that is, "at the performer's pleasure." This direction permits the performer to play with great freedom, especially with regard to tempo and the use of rubato.

A tempo means "in time" or "at tempo" in Italian. Tempo ("time") comes from Latin tempus ("time"). A tempo directs the performer to return to normal tempo after a deviation, such as a slowing down, a speeding up, or an ad libitum passage (see also a battuta).
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The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan, 2001.

The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1989.