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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Some random terms

  • sentimento [Italian] Feeling, emotion.
  • largo [Italian] A slow and solemn tempo marking, usually around 40–60 BPM.
  • Lied [German] (Plural: Lieder.) Literally, “song”; most commonly associated with the solo art song of the nineteenth century, usually accompanied by piano.
  • theme The musical basis upon which a composition is built. Usually a theme consists of a recognizable melody or a characteristic rhythmic pattern.
  • meter The basic scheme of note values and accents which remains unaltered throughout a composition or a section of it.
  • serein [French] Serene, calm.
  • hocket A Medieval practice of composition in which two voices would move in such a manner that one would be still while the other moved and vice-versa.
  • bridge A passage connecting two sections of a composition.
  • varsovienne [French] A French dance in 3/4 time with a moderate tempo.
  • postlude A composition that concludes a larger composition. Also, a composition performed at the end of a church service as the congregation leaves.
  • half note A note that has half the duration of time of a whole note.
  • Requiem [Latin] A composition to honor the deceased.
  • volando [Italian] Flying.
  • pantomime Theatrical genre in which an actor silently plays all the parts in a show while accompanied by singing.
  • pentatonic scale A scale of five tones. Commonly, these tones correspond to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th of a major scale.