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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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

  • rhythm and blues An American music style popular between the 1940s and 1960s. Generally played by a lead vocalist or instrumentalist, a rhythm section, and an ensemble of voices, wind instruments, or guitar. Most R&B is vocal, in quadruple time, and in a major key, but characterized by blue notes.
  • Ländler [German] A folk dance in 3/4 time which was popular in Austria, south Germany and German Switzerland at the end of the 18th century.
  • Longo numbers A numbering system identifying keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti.
  • madrigal Renaissance secular work originating in Italy for voices, with or without instruments, set to a short, lyric love poem.
  • triple meter A metrical pattern having three beats to a measure.
  • al niente [Italian] Literally, “to nothing”. Fade to silence.
  • timoroso [Italian] Timorous, fearful; with hesitation.
  • quadruple counterpoint Counterpoint in four parts.
  • incidental music Music written to accompany dramatic works.
  • swing A style of jazz playing whose flexible, improvised rhythms resist notation.
  • sentence Term applied to a complete, independent musical idea, usually consisting of two or four phrases, ending with a cadence.
  • console [French] Keyboard, stops and foot pedals of an organ.
  • middle C First C below the 440 Hz A. It is the note on the ledger line halfway between the bass and treble clef on the grand staff. It is the lowest C that a concert flute can make.
  • Abendmusik [German] Evening music, usually religious in nature, originating in the 17th century.
  • threnody A poem, a song, or an instrumental composition that expresses lament for the dead.