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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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

  • quadruple meter Metrical pattern with four beats to a measure.
  • Ausdrucksvoll [German] Expressive.
  • sight-reading The practice of playing or singing a composition at sight, without previous preparation.
  • sopra [Italian] “Above”.
  • mit Steigerung [German] With exaltation.
  • forte [Italian] “Loud”.
  • cavatina [Italian] Originally, a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition of the air. It is now frequently applied to a simple melodious air, as distinguished from a brilliant aria or recitative, and often forms part of a large movement or scena in oratorio or opera.
  • planctus [Latin] Medieval style of song and poetry of a lamenting character.
  • theme and variations A style of composition that first presents a basic theme and then develops and alters that theme in successive statements.
  • ut [Latin] The syllable first associated with the tonic of the key, now replaced by the syllable "Do" but still used in France. In the fixed Do system, this is always C.
  • calma [Italian] Calm.
  • radical bass An bass line produced by linking the fundamentals of the chords in a progression.
  • gallant style A clear, elegant, uncomplicated style that arose in contrast to the more complex style of Baroque counterpoint.
  • recoupe [French] A dance of the French Renaissance.
  • canzone [Italian] Literally, “song”. An Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric which resembles a madrigal. Sometimes a composition which is simple and songlike is designated as a canzone, especially if it is by a non-Italian.