Multilingual Music Glossary

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Found a word you don't know? No problem. Look it up in the Music Glossary!

We are currently providing explanations for 2484 terms from 12 languages, including English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Latin…

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Please note: a music glossary is just like a dictionary. It contains explanations to musical terms. If you are looking for a piece, please go here instead: search tunes.

Some random terms

  • rallentando [Italian] Slowing down.
  • toujours [French] Always.
  • ambitus [Latin] A range of pitches for a given voice in a part of music. It may also denote the pitch range that a musical instrument is capable of playing.
  • caesura [Latin] Break or interruption in music, with complete cessation of musical time. It is notated by two diagonal lines across the top line of a staff.
  • perdendo [Italian] Losing volume.
  • rigore [Italian] Rigour.
  • doloroso [Italian] Sorrowful, painful.
  • marziale [Italian] Martial, with a military feeling.
  • Zwischenspiel [German] An interlude played between the verses of a hymn.
  • figure A short musical phrase.
  • vocalization The singing of vocalises.
  • armonioso [Italian] Harmonious, pleasant-sounding.
  • romantic The era of music following the classical period, going from about 1815 to 1910.
  • villanella [Italian] A Renaissance polyphonic vocal form, usually with a simple tune in the top voice, and somewhat homophonic, regular rhythms in the lower voices.
  • savamment [French] Skilfully, expertly; with knowledge and experience.