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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Some random terms

  • M.M. Marking typically found at the beginning of a composition, identifying the tempo of the composition in terms of beats per minute. This marking originally stood for “Mälzel Metronome”, but has since come to designate “Metronome Marking”.
  • pomposo [Italian] Pompous, stately, or ceremonious.
  • prologue The introduction or preface to a dramatic work. The prologue usually tells the audience the background to the story about to be presented.
  • body The middle section of a flute, with the majority of the keys.
  • reel Moderately quick dance in duple meter danced throughout the British Isles; the most popular Irish traditional dance type.
  • recorder A wind instrument of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras. The recorder is a simple instrument related to the flute; it is sounded by blowing into one end and the pitch is adjusted by covering finger holes.
  • chromatic Any music or chord that contains notes not belonging to the diatonic scale.
  • stabile [Italian] Firm.
  • voce piena [Italian] “Full voice”.
  • through-composed Song form that is composed from beginning to end without repetitions of any major sections, each verse having its own, unique melody.
  • al fine [Italian] An indication to repeat a composition either from the beginning (da capo), or from the dal segno symbol, to the place marked fine (Italian for “end”).
  • glee An English part song for three or more voices originating in the 17th century.
  • whole tone An interval of two semitones, a major second.
  • tailgate A slang term for a trombone Glissando in Dixieland jazz.
  • genre Term used to identify a general category of music that shares similar performance forces, formal structures and/or style.