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

  • con fuoco [Italian] Literally, “with fire”. A directive to play with vehement energy or fervid emotion.
  • doloroso [Italian] Sorrowful, painful.
  • quadruple counterpoint Counterpoint in four parts.
  • yodel A style of singing or calling that involves switching the registers of the voice rapidly from head voice to chest voice (or falsetto and natural voice). Although this type of singing is typically associated with the high warbling of the Swiss and Tyrolean mountaineers, forms of yodeling can be found in several cultures, including African, Persian, and cowboy singers in the United States.
  • un pochettino [Italian] A little bit.
  • schneller [German] Faster.
  • tenerezza [Italian] Tenderness.
  • triple meter A metrical pattern having three beats to a measure.
  • pas de deux [French] An established item in ballet consisting of a dance performed by two dancers.
  • diminution A Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation which consists of the restatement of a melody in which the note values are shortened, usually by half.
  • retardation A slowing down of the tempo.
  • affannato [Italian] Anguished.
  • tierce de Picardie [French] A practice from the baroque era of ending a composition with a major chord, when the rest of the composition is in a minor key, thus giving the composition a sense of finality.
  • giocoso [Italian] Jolly, merry, playful.
  • mosso [Italian] Moved, agitated.