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

  • Leben [German] Life, vivacity.
  • Feldmusik [German] Music performed outdoors on wind instruments.
  • baroque The music of the period circa 1600–1750, directly following the Renaissance and preceding the Classical era. Its style is characterized by rich ornamentation.
  • larigot [French] A shepherd's flute or pipe.
  • toujours [French] Always.
  • jive A form of blues popular in the 1940s.
  • Hertz [German] The basic unit of measurement of frequency, definable as one cycle per second. Usually abbreviated “Hz”.
  • Generalpause [German] Rest or pause for all performers.
  • espressivo [Italian] “Expressive”.
  • symphonic poem A piece of orchestral music in one principal self-contained section called a “movement” in which a program from a poem, a story or novel, a painting, or another source is illustrated or evoked.
  • strict counterpoint The strict application of the rules of part writing.
  • pochettino [Italian] A little bit.
  • calmo [Italian] Calm.
  • fusion Style that combines jazz improvisation with amplified instruments of rock.
  • sacred music Religious or spiritual music, for church or devotional use.