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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If you are looking for a symbol, check out our Guide to Musical Symbols.

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

  • dampen A directive to muffle, deaden or restrain the tone of an instrument.
  • motive The briefest intelligible and self-contained fragment of a musical theme or subject.
  • vivacissimo [Italian] A fast tempo, faster than vivace.
  • connecting note A note held in common by two chords.
  • innocentemente Innocently.
  • empfindungsvoll [German] Feelingly.
  • sequence Restatement of an idea or motive at a different pitch level.
  • 8va [Italian] A directive to perform an octave higher than written.
  • impromptu [French] A single-movement piano composition of the Romantic era, usually short, with a spontaneous character.
  • galante [Italian] Gallant, courtly, elegant.
  • quadruplet A group of four notes played in the time usually taken to play six.
  • divertimento [Italian] Instrumental composition intended for entertainment, usually in a number of movements. The term is used particularly in the second half of the 18th century.
  • time signature A symbol placed at the left side of the staff indicating the meter of the composition.
  • appassionato [Italian] Passionate, with intense emotion or feeling.
  • doucement [French] Softly.