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

  • riflessivo [Italian] Reflective, thoughtful.
  • alla breve [Italian] A time marking indicating a quick duple meter, with the half note rather than the quarter note getting the beat (2/2 rather than 4/4).
  • verismo [Italian] A term meaning “realism”, applied to Romantic works (especially operas) of the late 19th century that have to do with unpleasant realities of life.
  • bar Each of the lines drawn perpendicularly across the staff to divide it into measures. In common usage the term may also mean measure.
  • segno [Italian] A sign in a composition that indicates where a repetition starts.
  • shape note Music notation system originating in nineteenth century American church music in which the shape of the note heads determines the pitch; created to aid music reading.
  • rhapsody A one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colors and tonalities.
  • mezzo-soprano [Italian] The female voice between soprano and contralto.
  • cantando [Italian] Singing.
  • tutti [Italian] “All”. A directive to perform with all instruments together.
  • beat A throbbing that is heard when two tones are slightly out of tune.
  • falsetto [Italian] Vocal technique whereby men can sing above their normal range, producing a lighter sound.
  • adirato [Italian] Angry, wrathful.
  • toujours [French] Always.
  • radical bass An bass line produced by linking the fundamentals of the chords in a progression.