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

  • operetta [Italian] A less serious form of opera made up of spoken dialog, songs and dances.
  • con semplicità [Italian] “With simplicity”.
  • symphony In the early 18th century, any instrumental prelude, interlude, or postlude. In modern usage, the term is applied to a large composition for orchestra, generally in three or four movements. The symphony may also be defined as a sonata for orchestra.
  • tie A curved line drawn over or under the heads of two notes of the same pitch indicating that they should be played as a single note.
  • affabile [Italian] Affable, pleasant.
  • amabile [Italian] Lovable, charming, amiable.
  • falsetto [Italian] Vocal technique whereby men can sing above their normal range, producing a lighter sound.
  • lenteur [French] “Slowness”.
  • première [French] Literally, “first”. The first public performance of a musical or dramatic work.
  • A440 The standard tuning of the A above middle C at 440 Hz.
  • grand staff A combination of two staves with a brace, usually used for piano music.
  • symphonic poem A piece of orchestral music in one principal self-contained section called a “movement” in which a program from a poem, a story or novel, a painting, or another source is illustrated or evoked.
  • opera A drama set to music, usually sung throughout, originating in 17th-century Italy.
  • tief [German] Deep, low.
  • tacet [Latin] Literally, “he is silent”. An indication that a performer is to be silent for some time.