| Term | Description |
|---|
| lacrimoso | tearfully; i.e., sadly |
| lamentando | lamenting, mournfully |
| lamentoso | lamenting, mournfully |
| langsam (Ger) | slowly |
| largamente | broadly; i.e., slowly (same as largo) |
| larghetto | somewhat slowly; not as slow as largo |
| Larghissimo | very slowly; slower than largo |
| largo | broadly; i.e., slowly |
| lebhaft (Ger) | briskly, lively |
| legato | joined; i.e., smoothly, in a connected manner (see also articulation) |
| leggiero | lightly, delicately |
| lent (Fr) | slowly |
| lento | slowly |
| liberamente | freely |
| libero | free, freely |
| l'istesso | see lo stesso, below |
| loco | [in] place; i.e., perform the notes at the pitch written (generally used to cancel an 8va direction) |
| lontano | from a distance; distantly |
| lo stesso or l'istesso | the same; applied to the manner of articulation, tempo, etc. |
| lugubre | lugubrious, mournful |
| luminoso | luminously |
| lusingando | coaxingly |
