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

  • music drama Wagner's term for his operas.
  • soprano [Italian] The highest female voice.
  • jota [Spanish] A type of Spanish dance song characterized by a quick triple meter and guitar and castanet accompaniment.
  • leggerissimo [Italian] Very light, very delicate.
  • gracieusement [French] Gracefully.
  • figure A short musical phrase.
  • perfect Term applied to the intervals of a unison, octave, fourth, and fifth when they are exactly in tune and not augmented nor diminished.
  • belebend [German] Lively.
  • flebile [Italian] “Plaintive”.
  • whole tone scale A scale built entirely of whole tone intervals. Used commonly by the French impressionists.
  • volando [Italian] Flying.
  • isorhythmic motet Medieval and early Renaissance motet based on a repeating rhythmic pattern throughout one or more voices.
  • Leichen-musik [German] Funeral music.
  • consonant A chord (or an interval) that is pleasing and harmonious to the ear.
  • fauxbourdon [French] A technique of musical harmonization used in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. It consists of the cantus firmus and two other parts a sixth and a perfect fourth below.