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

  • poco [Italian] “Not very”, “not much”.
  • measure The smallest metrical divisions of a composition, containing a fixed number of beats, the first of which bears an accent.
  • accent The stress of one tone over others.
  • leap Any movement from one note to another through means of an interval that is greater than a second.
  • mosso [Italian] Moved, agitated.
  • legato [Italian] Literally, “tied together”. A directive to perform a certain passage in a smooth, connected style. It is usually indicated by a slur over the affected notes.
  • non-harmonic note In part writing, a note that is dissonant with other notes in the same chord.
  • non-imitative counterpoint A musical texture in which independent voices of different character compete for attention.
  • concertmaster The term used to address the principal first violinist of an orchestra.
  • ancora [Italian] “Still”, as in “still more slowly”.
  • echo A repetition or mimicking of a certain passage, usually with less force and volume than the original statement.
  • religioso [Italian] Religious, devout.
  • dal segno [Italian] A directive to go back to a specific place of a composition, marked by a sign.
  • soli [Italian] “Alone” (plural form). A directive to perform with an entire section of an ensemble.
  • Manualiter [German] Organ compositions that are to be performed on the manual alone, i.e. without the pedals.