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

Hint: Don't worry about accents over letters, just skip them.

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…

You may browse the glossary alphabetically, or directly search for a term by using the search box above.

If you are looking for a symbol, check out our Guide to Musical Symbols.

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

  • diminution A Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation which consists of the restatement of a melody in which the note values are shortened, usually by half.
  • hairpin The symbol, made up of two joined lines, used to indicate a crescendo or a decrescendo.
  • allargando [Italian] Growing broader, slowing down.
  • jazz A musical style created mainly by African-Americans in the early twentieth century that blended elements drawn from African musics with the popular and art traditions of the West.
  • hautbois [French] Oboe.
  • binary measure A measure containing two beats.
  • camminando [Italian] Literally, “walking”. With easy and gentle progression.
  • orchestration The practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium.
  • libretto [Italian] A “little book” that contains the complete text of an opera, oratorio, and so forth.
  • subito [Italian] At once, immediately.
  • eilig [German] Hurried, hasty, speedy.
  • middle C First C below the 440 Hz A. It is the note on the ledger line halfway between the bass and treble clef on the grand staff. It is the lowest C that a concert flute can make.
  • quarter tone Half a semitone.
  • oral tradition Music that is transmitted by example or imitation and performed from memory.
  • mute A mechanical device used with string and brass instruments to muffle the tone.