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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Please note: a music glossary is just like a dictionary. It contains explanations to musical terms. If you are looking for a piece, please go here instead: search tunes.

Some random terms

  • meter The basic scheme of note values and accents which remains unaltered throughout a composition or a section of it.
  • immer [German] Ever, always.
  • trio sonata [Italian] A baroque sonata for two treble instruments and continuo, generally requiring four performers.
  • cantor [Latin] Solo singer or singing leader in Jewish and Christian liturgical music.
  • compound interval An interval greater than an octave.
  • mezzo forte [Italian] Moderately loud. Not quite so loud as forte.
  • rigore [Italian] Rigour.
  • string quartet An ensemble consisting of two violins, viola, and cello, or a work composed for such an ensemble.
  • transposing instrument Those instruments which are notated in one key on paper, yet sound another key when they are performed.
  • quasi [Italian] “Almost”.
  • sixty-fourth note A note having the time duration of one sixty-fourth of a whole note.
  • dramatic soprano A soprano voice type with a heavier tone color and more power throughout her range.
  • affabilmente [Italian] Easily, gently and agreeably.
  • sentence Term applied to a complete, independent musical idea, usually consisting of two or four phrases, ending with a cadence.
  • binary form Two-part structure of music; usually each part is repeated.