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

  • Gregorian chant Monophonic melody with a freely flowing, unmeasured vocal line; liturgical chant of the Roman Catholic Church.
  • jig A vigorous dance originating in the British Isles in the 15th century or earlier, usually in compound meter.
  • con semplicità [Italian] “With simplicity”.
  • binary measure A measure containing two beats.
  • loco [Latin] A directive to play in the normal playing position; it cancels any previous direction to play in an unusual position, like all'ottava.
  • formalism The tendency to elevate the formal aspects above the expressive value in music, as in Neoclassical music.
  • ternary form A three-part musical structure (ABA) based on statement (A), contrast (B) and repetition (A).
  • passacaglia [Italian] Baroque form in moderately slow triple meter, based on a short, repeated base-line melody that serves as the basis for continuous variation in the other voices.
  • polyharmony Two or more streams of harmony played against each other; common in twentieth century music.
  • octave Interval between two tones seven diatonic pitches apart; the upper tone vibrates twice as fast as the lower one.
  • sonoro [Italian] Resounding.
  • sequence Restatement of an idea or motive at a different pitch level.
  • major Term referring to a sequence of notes that define the tonality of the major scale. This series consists of seven notes: the tonic, followed by the next note a whole step up from the tonic, the third is a whole step from the second, the fourth is a half step from the third, the fifth is a whole step from the fourth, the sixth is a whole step from the fifth, the seventh is another whole step, followed by the tonic, a half step above the seventh.
  • spinto [Italian] A term describing a lyric voice, usually that of a soprano or tenor, that can also achieve powerful, dramatic effects. Also, a part written for a voice of such character.
  • bis [Latin] Literally, “twice”. A directive to repeat a passage.