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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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…

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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

  • reggae Jamaican popular music style characterized by offbeat rhythms and chanted vocals over a strong bass part.
  • tuning The adjustment of the pitch of an instrument. Also, the set pitches to which an instrument is tuned.
  • allant [French] Going on, lively.
  • zarzuela [Spanish] A Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance.
  • sheet music A generic term to mean any piece of paper with the notation of a composition printed on on it.
  • register A division of the range of an instrument or singing voice. Usually registers are defined by a change in the quality of the sound between a lower range and a higher range.
  • molto [Italian] “Very”, “much”.
  • martial music Music with a military feeling.
  • fresco [Italian] “Fresh”, vigorous, lively.
  • pas [French] “Not”.
  • texture The interweaving of melodic (horizontal) and harmonic (vertical) elements in the musical fabric. Texture is generally described as monophonic (single line), heterophonic (elaboration on a single line), homophonic (single line with accompaniment), or polyphonic (many voiced).
  • triple meter A metrical pattern having three beats to a measure.
  • zart [German] Tender, delicate.
  • air A short song, melody or tune, for voice or instrument.
  • flamenco [Spanish] A genre of dance and music characterized by its use of modes, its unusual rhythm patterns and its use of guitar accompaniment.