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

  • refrain [French] A verse which repeats throughout a song or poem at given intervals.
  • andante [Italian] Literally, “going”. A moderate tempo marking, usually around 76–108 BPM.
  • quadrille [French] An early 19th century ballroom dance for four or more couples.
  • portamento [Italian] Literally, “carrying”. In singing or playing continuous-pitch instruments, the technique of gliding from one note to another without actually defining the intermediate notes: a smooth sliding between two pitches.
  • concerto [Italian] A three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.
  • overtone A constituent frequency of a sound other than the fundamental frequency.
  • fantasia [Italian] Free instrumental piece of fairly large dimensions, in an improvisational style.
  • innigster [German] “Sincere”.
  • con amore [Italian] “With love”, lovingly.
  • fandango [Spanish] A lively folk and flamenco couple-dance, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars and castanets or hand-clapping.
  • mezzo piano [Italian] Moderately soft. Not quite so soft as piano.
  • Lombard rhythm A rhythm associated primarily with baroque music, generally consisting of a stressed sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth note.
  • malinconico [Italian] Melancholic.
  • console [French] Keyboard, stops and foot pedals of an organ.
  • tenerezza [Italian] Tenderness.