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

  • serioso [Italian] Serious, grave.
  • rigore [Italian] Rigour.
  • Reigenlied [German] Medieval dance form in triple meter, characterized by repeated notes and phrases.
  • stinger A chord at the end of a march that is used to punctuate the ending of the composition. The stinger is typically played by the entire ensemble on the last beat of the last measure of the composition and contains an accent.
  • pietoso [Italian] Pitiful, merciful, compassionate.
  • cantabile [Italian] Songful, in a singing style.
  • sacred music Religious or spiritual music, for church or devotional use.
  • placido [Italian] Calm, placid.
  • musical Genre of twentieth century musical theater, especially popular in the United States and Great Britain; characterized by spoken dialogue, dramatic plot interspersed with songs, ensemble numbers and dancing.
  • florid Rich, embellished.
  • con malinconia [Italian] With melancholy.
  • zusammen [German] Literally, “together”. A directive to perform a certain passage of music together with other musicians in the section. Typically found after a divisi.
  • verve [French] A high degree of energy, excitement or spirit. Often referred to as the artistic inspiration and special feeling of excitement that is used by artists to realize the expression of ideas in performance or composition.
  • encore [French] “Again”.
  • flebile [Italian] “Plaintive”.