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

  • yodel A style of singing or calling that involves switching the registers of the voice rapidly from head voice to chest voice (or falsetto and natural voice). Although this type of singing is typically associated with the high warbling of the Swiss and Tyrolean mountaineers, forms of yodeling can be found in several cultures, including African, Persian, and cowboy singers in the United States.
  • no chord A directive placed over a note (or a series of notes) signifying that the note(s) should be performed without accompaniment. Typically found in popular music notation.
  • zu [German] Shown as zu2, zu3, etc., it is a directive to indicate the number of musicians to perform the indicated passage of music.
  • jarabe [Spanish] Traditional Mexican dance form with multiple sections in contrasting meters and tempos.
  • secular Nonreligious.
  • connecting note A note held in common by two chords.
  • retardation A slowing down of the tempo.
  • très [French] “Very”, “much”.
  • negligente [Italian] “Negligent”, unrestrained.
  • tonality The organization of a composition around a tonic.
  • double [French] During the Baroque period, a repetition or variation of an air or a dance that adds extra notes and/or ornaments.
  • canon Strict imitation, in which one voice imitates another at a staggered time interval.
  • concertmaster The term used to address the principal first violinist of an orchestra.
  • moresca [Italian] An exotic Renaissance dance simulating a battle between the Moors and the Christians.
  • precisamente [Italian] Precisely, exactly.