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

  • gaudioso [Italian] Joyous, joyful.
  • zu [German] Shown as zu2, zu3, etc., it is a directive to indicate the number of musicians to perform the indicated passage of music.
  • signature Key signature or time signature.
  • canto [Italian] Literally, “singing”. The highest vocal part in choral music.
  • open-hole A flute finger key with a perforated center, allowing the use of techniques such as pitch bending or glissando.
  • half note A note that has half the duration of time of a whole note.
  • pas de deux [French] An established item in ballet consisting of a dance performed by two dancers.
  • misterioso [Italian] Mysterious.
  • moins [French] “Less”.
  • post-modern A term adopted around the mid-1970s to describe our current eclectic, experimental age.
  • Köchel Verzeichnis [German] The numbering system identifying compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
  • acciaccatura [Italian] A short grace note, typically notated with a slash through the stem or flag, that quickly resolves to the main note.
  • Tafelmusik [German] Literally, “table music”. Music that is performed at feasts and banquets.
  • break In the flute or other wind instrument, the place between the lower register of the instrument and the higher. For example, the break on the flute is between C-sharp and D.
  • severità [Italian] Strictness, severity.