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ABBREVIATIONS
[NB: New pieces on this site will appear at the top of the lists, but after any Zipped les.]

The abbreviations below may be used as search terms (ctrl-F in Windows) in any page on this
site, including any provided lists.

(Abbreviated instrumental terms that are inside single or double quotes, e.g., vn or va, & vc, denote
a POSSIBLE instrumentation, not the original instrumentation.)

1. KBD = one of several keyboard instruments like the cembalo (harpsichord), organ, clavichord,
or even the early piano.
2. VN or VLN = violin (Plural: vns)
3. VA or VLA = viola (Plural: vas)
4. VC or VLC = cello (Plural: vcs)
5. VC-BC = cello and/or contrabass playing a BC line (called a continuo cello)
6. CB or DB = double bass or contrabass
7. BC = basso continuo, or continuo (a basslowestline played by a cello and a KBD, with gures
(sometimes absent) that indicate to the keyboardist the well-voiced (well-counterpointed)
harmonization to be played by the right hand).
8. BC realized = a KBD part with an arrangers harmonization of the BC printed in the treble
(right hand) of the kbd score.
9. PF = piano, pianoforte, fortepiano.
10. Basso = Cello (or possibly double bass), in chamber music if there is not a separate sta for
cello.
11. Basso= Cello and Double Bass, in orchestral music if there is not a separate sta for cello.
12. OB = oboe
13. BSN = bassoon
14. FL = ute
15. CL = clarinet
16. Op = opus
17. Arr = arranged for, or by (an arrangement SHOULD mean a signicant modication/addition of

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ABBREVIATIONS | Classical sheet music gratis http://classicalsheetmusicgratis.org/abbreviations

many elements to the original piece)

18. Transc = transcribed for (in America, meaning little more than a key-change, octave transposi-
tion or reassignment of instrumentshence, remains public domain in the USA)
19. Ed = edited, editor
20. pd = public domain
21. DUPLEX = a pdf le that prints two-sided with the left and right pages appearing correctly. (Al-
most all les from JDH are duplex, without them being so described.)
22. REPAGED = The page layout has been modied, or reowed (REPAGED) from the original: 1)
A blank page is removed or inserted to change the way pages ow to improve page turns. 2)
Staves may be reowed for the same purpose. NB: Repaged pages may retain the original,
now incorrect, page numbers.

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