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

  • dolcissimo [Italian] Very sweet, very soft.
  • dotted note A note that has a dot placed to the right of the notehead, indicating that the duration of the note should be increased by half again its original duration.
  • ricercare [Italian] Literally, “search”. Term used in the Renaissance originally meaning a keyboard or lute composition of an introductory nature, similar to a prelude, but later meaning a free composition more resembling a fantasia or a fugue. Both forms of the ricercare were characterized by complexity and an esoteric nature.
  • treble The highest part of a polyphonic composition.
  • galop [French] A lively ballroom dance, generally in 2/4 time.
  • A440 The standard tuning of the A above middle C at 440 Hz.
  • fantasia [Italian] Free instrumental piece of fairly large dimensions, in an improvisational style.
  • perfect pitch The ability of certain people to identify a given pitch without reference to any other pitch.
  • countertenor A male voice of unusually high range, generally achieved through falsetto. The countertenor has the range of either the female alto or soprano.
  • backbeat A style of rhythmic accentuation that puts accents on even beats. In common time this means having accents on beats 2 and 4.
  • sonatina [Italian] A form popular in the late classical era that consisted of a short or “light” sonata; often the sonatina contained an exposition and recapitulation without the development section. The form has been revived in the 20th century by various composers.
  • gig A term commonly applied to a musical engagement of one night's duration only.
  • comma [Italian] Difference in pitch between a note derived from pure tuning and the same note derived from some other tuning method.
  • double sharp An accidental sign (‛x’) that raises a note by two semitones.
  • tango [Spanish] A dance in 2/4 time from Argentina.