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

  • relative key The major and minor keys that share the same key signature.
  • symphonie concertante [French] A musical genre of the late 18th and early 19th centuries that resembles a concerto for two to four solo instruments. It is a composition in two or three movements of a lighthearted character, usually in a major key. The genre features a few solo instruments and orchestra.
  • fiddle A name for the violin, especially when used to perform folk music.
  • irato [Italian] Irate, angry.
  • maestro [Italian] A title of respect given to a master musician.
  • repercussion The frequent repetition of the same sound. Also, the re-entrance of the subject and answer in a fugue following other material.
  • luttuoso [Italian] Mournful.
  • ripieno [Italian] The notes added when realizing the figured bass of a basso continuo.
  • con [Italian] “With”.
  • mezzo forte [Italian] Moderately loud. Not quite so loud as forte.
  • neoclassical Term applied to 20th century composers who use the forms and thematic processes of the classical era.
  • Minnesang [German] A tradition of Medieval courtly and secular music in Germany, cultivated by the nobility. The main focus of the music of this tradition was the idea of Minnedienst, servitude to love, often illustrated as the devoted knight entirely loyal to an unattainable lady with no hope of her love in return.
  • reprise [French] Repetition.
  • Zwischenspiel [German] An interlude played between the verses of a hymn.
  • subject The melody upon which a fugue is based; a melody, motive, or theme. The theme or melody upon which any composition is based.