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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Some random terms

  • Gregorian chant Monophonic melody with a freely flowing, unmeasured vocal line; liturgical chant of the Roman Catholic Church.
  • larghissimo [Italian] An extremely slow tempo, slower than largo.
  • ronde [French] Lively Renaissance round dance or country dance associated with the outdoors, in which the participants danced in a circle or a line.
  • grace note Ornamental note, often printed in small type.
  • bourrée [French] An old French dance in use during the Baroque period, very rapid and hearty, usually in 2/4 or 2/2 time.
  • mancando [Italian] A directive for the volume to grow quieter and die away.
  • part song A vocal composition for two or more voices, usually unaccompanied.
  • da capo [Italian] Literally, “from the beginning”. A directive to go back to the beginning of the composition.
  • virtuoso [Italian] Performer of extraordinary technical ability.
  • con passione [Italian] “With passion”.
  • tertian harmony Term applied to harmony which is based upon the interval of the third.
  • dodecaphony Ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale are sounded as often as one another in a piece of music while preventing the emphasis of any.
  • treble The highest part of a polyphonic composition.
  • quickstep A dance popular in the 1920s in duple meter. Also, a fast march.
  • Minnesinger [German] A poet or musician of the Minnesang tradition in Germany, active during the 12th through the 15th centuries.