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

  • alto flute A flute pitched in the key of G, sounding a 4th lower than the concert flute.
  • festivo [Italian] Merry, festive.
  • solo [Italian] A passage that is to be performed by a single performer.
  • andantino [Italian] A moderate tempo marking, which can be faster or slower than andante.
  • Leichen-musik [German] Funeral music.
  • spagnoletta [Italian] An Italian dance of the late 16th century.
  • fipple The block, typically of wood, that forms the floor of the windway of an edge-blown aerophone.
  • ronde [French] Lively Renaissance round dance or country dance associated with the outdoors, in which the participants danced in a circle or a line.
  • bar Each of the lines drawn perpendicularly across the staff to divide it into measures. In common usage the term may also mean measure.
  • estampie [French] A type of early instrumental music of the 13th and 14th centuries, consisting of independent sections strung together.
  • whole tone An interval of two semitones, a major second.
  • world music A 20th century term used by the music recording industry to categorize non-American music that does not fit into any of the established genres. This music tends to be folk music from outside of the United States of America.
  • à la [French] In the manner of.
  • restez [French] A directive to remain on a note.
  • ohne [German] “Without”.