Multilingual Music Glossary
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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
- ganz
Whole, entire, all. - family A grouping of instruments which produce sound in the same manner and are constructed in the same way but in different sizes, such as the flute family, the clarinet family, the violin family and so on.
- son
Sound. - common chord A chord that appears in more than one key. Frequently used in modulation.
- tempestoso
Stormy. - open-hole A flute finger key with a perforated center, allowing the use of techniques such as pitch bending or glissando.
- vite
Fast. - head voice The highest register of the voice, excluding falsetto.
- tenuto
A directive to perform a certain note or chord of a composition in a sustained manner for longer than its full duration. - pianississimo
Extremely soft, softer than pianissimo. - quadrille
An early 19th century ballroom dance for four or more couples. - tief
Deep, low. - castrato Male singer who was castrated during boyhood to preserve the soprano or alto vocal register, prominent in seventeenth and early eighteenth century opera.
- bizzarro
Odd, whimsical, irregular. - alt
Term used to indicate the tones of the first octave above the treble staff (G5 to F6), which are said to be “in alt”.