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

  • binary form Two-part structure of music; usually each part is repeated.
  • con anima [Italian] “With soul”, with feeling.
  • musical Genre of twentieth century musical theater, especially popular in the United States and Great Britain; characterized by spoken dialogue, dramatic plot interspersed with songs, ensemble numbers and dancing.
  • non [Italian] “Not”.
  • prestissimo [Italian] Extremely fast tempo marking, usually around 200 BPM.
  • vivacissimo [Italian] A fast tempo, faster than vivace.
  • recitativo accompagnato [Italian] Recitative accompanied by the entire orchestra.
  • new age Style of popular music of the 1980s and 1990s, characterized by soothing timbres and repetitive forms that are subjected to shifting variation techniques.
  • savamment [French] Skilfully, expertly; with knowledge and experience.
  • rumba [Spanish] A dance originating in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Spanish colonizers and of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves.
  • furioso [Italian] “Furious”.
  • morendo [Italian] Literally, “dying away”. Gradually diminishing in volume and tempo, fading away.
  • cantando [Italian] Singing.
  • misterioso [Italian] Mysterious.
  • weniger [German] “Less”.