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

  • sextet A piece for six singers or instrumentalists. Also, a group of such musicians.
  • mesto [Italian] Sad.
  • lip plate The part of a flute which contacts the player's lower lip, allowing precise positioning and direction of the air stream.
  • couplet [French] A term used in the 1600s and 1700s for the intermediate sections of a rondeau.
  • prima donna [Italian] Literally, “first lady”. Term used in opera for the principal female singer of the opera or of the opera company.
  • ossia [Italian] An alternative version of a music, usually only a few measures long and marked as an added staff.
  • open-hole A flute finger key with a perforated center, allowing the use of techniques such as pitch bending or glissando.
  • masque [French] English genre of aristocratic entertainment that combined vocal and instrumental music with poetry and dance, developed during the 16th and 17th centuries.
  • non-harmonic note In part writing, a note that is dissonant with other notes in the same chord.
  • common chord A chord that appears in more than one key. Frequently used in modulation.
  • trio [Italian] A composition for three performers.
  • march A military piece characterized by strongly accented duple meter and clear sectional structures.
  • gai [French] Gay, merry.
  • allegretto [Italian] A rather fast tempo marking between allegro and moderato, usually around 100–120 BPM.
  • rinforzare [Italian] To reinforce.