Multilingual Music Glossary

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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

  • tie A curved line drawn over or under the heads of two notes of the same pitch indicating that they should be played as a single note.
  • tonic The note upon which a scale or key is based.
  • treble The highest part of a polyphonic composition.
  • connecting note A note held in common by two chords.
  • tronco [Italian] A directive to perform a certain passage short or “cut off”.
  • sonata-allegro form The opening movement of the sonata cycle, consisting of themes that are stated in the first section (exposition), developed in the second section (development), and restated in the third section (recapitulation).
  • modal Having to do with modes; this term is applied most particularly to music that is based upon the Gregorian modes, rather than to music based upon the major, minor, or any other scale.
  • double exposition In a concerto, a twofold statement of the theme, once by the orchestra and once by the soloist.
  • timbre [French] The quality of a sound; that component of a tone that causes different instruments (for example a flute and a violin) to sound different from each other while they are both playing the same note.
  • con grazia [Italian] “With grace”.
  • Minnelied [German] A love song composed in the Minnesang tradition.
  • raddolcendo [Italian] Growing sweeter and calmer.
  • rondellus [Latin] A 13th century English style of three-voice composition.
  • volando [Italian] Flying.
  • pianississimo [Italian] Extremely soft, softer than pianissimo.