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

  • jazz A musical style created mainly by African-Americans in the early twentieth century that blended elements drawn from African musics with the popular and art traditions of the West.
  • penny whistle A folk wind instrument similar to the recorder, but usually made of tin. It generally has six finger holes, and is prominent in British and Irish folk music.
  • haut [French] Literally, “high”. Medieval category of loud instruments, used principally for outdoor occasions.
  • easy listening A genre of popular music that is meant to be soothing and relaxing to the listener.
  • tango [Spanish] A dance in 2/4 time from Argentina.
  • stretto [Italian] A directive to quicken the tempo.
  • grand staff A combination of two staves with a brace, usually used for piano music.
  • double [French] During the Baroque period, a repetition or variation of an air or a dance that adds extra notes and/or ornaments.
  • sgarbato [Italian] Rude, unkind, impolite.
  • moto perpetuo [Italian] Literally, “perpetual motion”. A term used to describe rapidly executed and persistently maintained figuration.
  • motive The briefest intelligible and self-contained fragment of a musical theme or subject.
  • harmony Tones sounding simultaneously.
  • comp Jazz term used to describe the accompaniment backing up a soloist.
  • hopak A folk Ukrainian dance, introduced to the orchestra by such composers as Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky.
  • opus [Latin] A number, often assigned by a publisher, used to classify a particular work of a composer.