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

Hint: Don't worry about accents over letters, just skip them.

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…

You may browse the glossary alphabetically, or directly search for a term by using the search box above.

If you are looking for a symbol, check out our Guide to Musical Symbols.

Please note: a music glossary is just like a dictionary. It contains explanations to musical terms. If you are looking for a piece, please go here instead: search tunes.

Some random terms

  • presto [Italian] Fast tempo marking, usually around 168–192 BPM.
  • sehr [German] “Very”, “much”.
  • stretto [Italian] A directive to quicken the tempo.
  • dynamics The softness or loudness of a sound or note.
  • andantino [Italian] A moderate tempo marking, which can be faster or slower than andante.
  • chest voice The lowest register of the voice.
  • ossia [Italian] An alternative version of a music, usually only a few measures long and marked as an added staff.
  • just intonation Tuning system in which the notes are obtained by adding and subtracting natural fifths and thirds.
  • feierlich [German] Solemn.
  • double tonguing A technique used in playing the flute and brass instruments which allows notes to be played in rapid succession. It is achieved by rapidly forming the consonants “T” and “K” in quick succession.
  • arrangement A rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material, or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch. If a musical adaptation does not include new material, it is more accurately termed a transcription or orchestration.
  • festivo [Italian] Merry, festive.
  • chaconne [French] Baroque form in 3/4 time similar to the passacaglia, in which the variations are based on a repeated chord progression.
  • sacred music Religious or spiritual music, for church or devotional use.
  • chart Colloquial or jazz term for a score or arrangement.