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

  • boogie-woogie A style of piano-based blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s, but originated much earlier, and was extended from piano, to three pianos at once, guitar, big band, and country and western music, and even gospel. Whilst the blues traditionally depicts a variety of emotions, boogie-woogie is mainly associated with dancing.
  • double flat An accidental sign consisting of two flat symbols, that lowers a note by two semitones.
  • rhapsody A one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colors and tonalities.
  • non [Italian] “Not”.
  • divertissment [French] A light, entertaining dance and music combination related to the divertimento.
  • concertmaster The term used to address the principal first violinist of an orchestra.
  • pentatonic scale A scale of five tones. Commonly, these tones correspond to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th of a major scale.
  • Klavier [German] A keyboard instrument; usually, a piano.
  • hairpin The symbol, made up of two joined lines, used to indicate a crescendo or a decrescendo.
  • gigue [French] A lively baroque dance in compound meter originating from the British jig, imported into France in the mid-17th century. It usually appears at the end of a suite.
  • portamento [Italian] Literally, “carrying”. In singing or playing continuous-pitch instruments, the technique of gliding from one note to another without actually defining the intermediate notes: a smooth sliding between two pitches.
  • cabaletta [Italian] A form of aria within 19th century Italian opera. It is usually found as the last part of a double aria, with the scena, cantabile and the tempo di mezzo preceeding it. It is often in a fast tempo.
  • Kantor [German] Music director of a Lutheran church, and usually the director of music at a school or institution attached to the church as well.
  • quadruple meter Metrical pattern with four beats to a measure.
  • son [French] Sound.