Help! I have to sing this piece as part of a Baptist choir supposedly this Tuesday evening; if not on Tuesday, then two Sunday's from now.

I have been assigned the second soprano parts. Gag!

I haven't sung in a choir in ages.

Here are my questions:

Above the notes there are lower-case alphabetic characters.

What does "mp," "mf a tempo," "mf," and "f" stand for?

This coming Sunday "Holy Spirit, Rain Down" is on the docket. What a hick song! I guess I will need to invoke my Southern accent for this one. :-) It's a "page flipper," also. (forward and backward). It has the "f" character throughout.

I have a feeling some of you are going to come up with comical responses to my question. Hopefully, one of you will give me the correct definition. LOL!

mf means mezzoforte
f means forte
mp means mezzo-piano
p means piano

As you go from mf to f you'll get louder. fff is like full blast

As you go from mp to p you'll get quiter. ppp is very soft.

mf a tempo is seperate- mf mezzo forte, a-tempo means to pick up to the original speed of the music, assuming that just before this you has slowed down or sped up.

mp- mezzo piano mezzo - half or moderately softly

mf mezzo forte mezzo - half or moderately loud

f forte strong or loudly

mf a tempo is moderately loud up to tempo or speed