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

  • sehr [German] “Very”, “much”.
  • prima donna [Italian] Literally, “first lady”. Term used in opera for the principal female singer of the opera or of the opera company.
  • Schottische [German] A German round dance in duple time.
  • adirato [Italian] Angry, wrathful.
  • performer The musician that brings a composition to reality.
  • fusion Style that combines jazz improvisation with amplified instruments of rock.
  • triad A chord made up of three notes.
  • double tonguing A technique used in playing the flute and brass instruments which allows notes to be played in rapid succession. It is achieved by rapidly forming the consonants “T” and “K” in quick succession.
  • no chord A directive placed over a note (or a series of notes) signifying that the note(s) should be performed without accompaniment. Typically found in popular music notation.
  • leading note The major seventh of a scale, so called because it lies a semitone below the tonic and “leads” towards it.
  • squillante [Italian] Ringing.
  • stentato [Italian] Labored, heavy, in a dragging manner, sluggish. Alternatively, strong and forced.
  • rabbia [Italian] Rage, fury, anger.
  • un pochettino [Italian] A little bit.
  • affabilità [Italian] Literally, “affability”. A directive to perform with ease and elegance, in a pleasing and agreeable manner.