| p, pp or ppp | (Italian) piano, pianissimo - soft, very soft |
| Paar | (German) pair, few |
| Pacato, Pacatamente | (Italian) placid, placidly |
| Padiglione | (Italian) the bell of a wind instrument |
| Padovana | (Italian) pavan |
| Paean | a song of praise |
| Pair | (French) even |
| Palabra | (Spanish) word |
| Palcoscenico | (Italian) stage |
| Palindrome | a word, verse or piece of music that reads the same forward and backwards |
| Palotache | an instrumental piece in duple time from Hungary |
| Pandurina | a small lute-like instrument strung with wire |
| Panpipes | a wind-instrument made up of a number of small pipes, across which the player blows, of steadily increasing size set in a frame |
| Pantomine | a musical comedy often associated with the Christmas period |
| Parlando, Parlante | (Italian) speaking |
| Parlato | (Italian) spoken |
| Parody | a musical work in the style of another |
| Part | one voice from a multi-voice work |
| Parte, Parti | (Italian) part, parts |
| Partials | a note produced by a musical instrument is made up of a fundamental frequency together with its harmonics (first, second, third, etc.) - the fundamental is the 'first partial', the 'first harmonic' is the 'second partial', and so on |
| Partita | (Italian) a suite, an 'air with variations' |
| Partition (Fr.), Partitura or Partizione (It.), Partitur (Ger.) | a musical score |
| Partito | (Italian) divided |
| Pas | (French) not, not any, step |
| Pas d'action | a ballet with a dramatic style |
| Pas de basque | alternating steps where one foot is on the ground all the time |
| Pas d'echarps | (French) scarf dance |
| Pas de deux | a dance for two performers |
| Pas de quatre | a dance for four performers |
| Pas glissé | a single gliding step |
| Pasodoble | a lively dance in simple duple time |
| Passacaglia | chaconne |
| Passamezzo, Passemezzo | (Italian) a old dance in 2 beats in a bar |
| Passecaille | (French) passacaglia |
| Passend | (German) fitting, the same meaning as 'commodo' |
| Passepied | a rapid dance in simple triple time |
| Pas seul | (French) a solo dance |
| Passionato, Passionatamente | (Italian) passionate, passionately |
| Passione | (Italian) passion |
| Pasticcio | (Italian) a medley, an opera in which each act is written by a different composer, an instrumental work in which each section is written by a different composer |
| Pastiche | (French) pasticcio |
| Pastoral | a stage work incorporating music and ballet, an instrumental piece with rural connotations |
| Pastorale | (French) pastoral |
| Pastoso | (Italian) soft, mellow |
| Patetico | (Italian) pathetic |
| Pateticamente | (Italian) pathetically |
| Pathétique (Fr.), Pathetisch (Ger.) | pathetic |
| Pathétiquement | (French) pathetically |
| Patimento | (Italian) suffering |
| Pauken | (German) kettledrums |
| Pausa | (Italian) rest |
| Pause | the fermata sign |
| Pause | (French) pause, rest (in particular the semibreve or whole-note rest) |
| Pause | (German) pause, rest |
| Pavana | (Italian) pavan |
| Pavan | a dance comprising a pattern of five steps, hence its alternative name 'Cinque pas' |
| Pavane | pavan |
| Paven | pavan |
| Paventato, Paventoso | (Italian) timid |
| Pavillon | (French) the bell of a wind instrument |
| Pavyn | pavan |
| Peau | (French) skin, a drum head |
| Pedale | (Italian) pedal |
| Pedalier (Eng.), Pedaliera (It.) | pedal board of an organ |
| Pedalpauken | (German) a mechanically tuned kettledrum with pedals |
| Peine, À | (French) scarcely, hardly at all |
| Pendant | (French) during |
| Pénétrant | (French) penetrating |
| Per | (Italian) by, in order to |
| Percossa | (Italian) percussion |
| Perdendo, Perdendosi | (Italian) gradually dying away |
| Périgourdine | an ancient French singing-dance in compound duple time |
| Però | (Italian) however, therefore |
| Perpetuum Mobile | a piece that is rapid, filled with notes of the same value rather like a toccata |
| Pes | (Latin) a ground bass, a term used in Plainsong to denote a melodic figure written in the old neume notation |
| Pesant (Fr.), Pesante (It.) | heavy, heavily |
| Pesamment (Fr.), Pesantemente (It.) | heavily |
| Petenera | a traditional Spanish song in brisk triple time |
| Petit, Petite | (French) small, little |
| Petto | (Italian) chest as in 'voce di petto', 'chest voice' |
| Peu | (French) little |
| Peu à peu | (French) little by little |
| Pezzo | (Italian) piece |
| Pfeife | (German) pipe |
| Pfiffig | (German) artful |
| Phantasie | (German) fancy, imagination, reverie |
| Piacere | (Italian) pleasure |
| Piacevole | (Italian) agreeable |
| Pianamente | (Italian) softly |
| Piangendo, Piangente | (Italian) weeping |
| Piangevole, Piangevolmente | (Italian) plaintive, plaintively |
| Piano, Pianissimo | (Italian) soft, very soft |
| Piano à queue | (French) grand piano |
| Pianoforte | a musical instruments where, by depressing keys, felt-covered wooden hammers are 'thrown' against strings, stretched over a soundboard, from which dampers have been lifted, producing sounds individually or in groups (or chords), for as long as the dampers remain lifted (that is until the keys are released) or until such time as the vibrational energy has dissipated and the sound has died away |
| Pianola | a mechanical piano, controlled by information stored on paper rolls, which may record or play-back a musical performance |
| Pianto | (Italian) plaint, lamentation |
| Piatti | (Italian) cymbals |
| Pibroch | a type of Scottish Highland music for bagpipes taking the form of a theme with variations |
| Picchettato, Picchiettato, Picchiettando | (Italian) spiccato |
| Piccola, Piccolo | (Italian) little |
| Pied | (French) foot (a term used to describe the pitch of organ pipes) |
| Pied en l'air | (French) a particular step in the Galliard |
| Pieno, Piena | (Italian) full |
| Pietà, Pietoso, Pietosamente | (Italian) pity, piteous, piteously |
| Pikieren | (German) to play spiccato |
| Pincé | (French) pinched, pizzicato |
| Piobaireachd | pibroch |
| Piqué | (French) spiccato |
| Piquiren | (German) to play spiccato |
| Pistone, Pistoni (plural form) | (Italian) a valve on a brass instrument |
| Piú | (Italian) more |
| Piuttosto | (Italian) rather |
| Pizzicato | (Italian) plucked |
| Placabile, Placabilmente | (Italian) peaceful, peacefully |
| Placido, Placidezza, Placidamente | (Italian) placid, placidly, peacefully |
| Placito | (Italian) pleasure |
| Plaisant | (French) merry |
| Plaqué | (French) chords played together rather than spread or arpeggiated |
| Plateau, Plateaux | plate (plates) of cymbals |
| Plaudernd | (German) chattering, babbling |
| Playera | a Gypsy seguidilla |
| Plectrum | a small piece of wood, bone, leather, quill, or whatever, used to pluck a string |
| Plein, Pleine | (French) full |
| Pleno | (Italian) full |
| Plötzlich | (German) suddenly |
| Plus | (German) more |
| Pneuma | (German) florid passages sung on a single vowel |
| Pochetto, Pochettino | (Italian) very little, very little indeed |
| Pochissimo | (Italian) the least possible, the bare minimum |
| Poco | (Italian) a little, rather |
| Poco e poco | (Italian) little by little, gradually |
| Poggiato | (Italian) dwelt upon, leant upon |
| Poi | (Italian) then |
| Poids | (French) weight |
| Pointe | (French) tip of the bow |
| Polka | a round dance, of Bohemian origin, in quick duple time |
| Polnisch | (German) Polish |
| Polo | a Spanish folk song in simple triple time |
| Polonaise (Fr.), Polonäse (Ger.), Polacca (It.) | a simple triple time Polish dance |
| Polska | a simple triple time dance of Scandinavian origin derived from the Mazurka |
| Polstertanz | (German) pillow or cushion dance |
| Polyphony, Polyphonic | contrapuntal writing |
| Pompeux, Pompeuse | (French) pompous |
| Pomposo | (Italian) pompous |
| Ponderoso | (Italian) ponderous |
| Ponticello | (Italian) the bridge of a stringed instrument |
| Pordon Danza | (Spanish) a men's dance employing lances |
| Portamento | (Italian) very legato, carrying a vocal or instrumental line without gaps |
| Portando, Portato | (Italian) portamento |
| Port de voix | (French) a vocal portamento |
| Porté, Portée | (French) portamento, stave or staff |
| Porter de voix | (French) to use the portamento |
| Posaune | (German) trombone |
| Posément | (French) steadily, sedately |
| Posizione | (Italian) position |
| Possible | (Italian) possible |
| Postlude | anything played as an after piece |
| Pot-pourri | a musical work made up of popular tunes |
| Pouce | (French) thumb |
| Pour | (French) for |
| Poussé | (French) up-bow |
| Prächtig, Prachtvoll | (German) grand, grandly |
| Präcis | (German) rhythmically precise |
| Praeludium | (Latin) prelude |
| Pralltriller | upper mordent |
| Präludium | (German) prelude |
| Préamble | (French) prelude |
| Précédemment | (French) previously |
| Precipitato, Precipitoso, Precipitosamente, Precipitando, Precipitandosi | (Italian) impetuously |
| Précipité | (French) impetuously |
| Preciso, Precisione | (Italian) rhythmically precise |
| Pregando | (Italian) praying |
| Preghiera | (Italian) prayer |
| Prelude | a piece that is played before another piece |
| Préluder | to tune up, to prelude |
| Preludio | (Italian) prelude |
| Premier, Première | first |
| Prendre | (French) to take |
| Prenez | (French) take! |
| Près | (French) near |
| Presque | (French) almost |
| Pressando, Pressante | (Italian) accelerando |
| Pressant | (French) accelerando |
| Pressez (Fr.), Pressieren (Ger.) | accelerando |
| Presto | (Italian) quick |
| Prière | (French) prayer |
| Prima | (Italian) first |
| Primo | (Italian) first |
| Proemio | preface, prelude |
| Progressivo, Progressivamente | (Italy) progressive, progressively |
| Promptement | (French) promptly |
| Pronto | (Italian) ready, promptly |
| Provençale | a dance from Provence |
| Psaltery | a stringed instrument played with a plectrum |
| Psaume | (French) psalm |
| Pult | (German) orchestral music stand for two players |
| Punta | (Italian) point |
| Punto coronato, Punto d'organo | the fermata sign |
| Pupitre | (French) orchestral stand for two players |
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