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

  • fugato [Italian] In the style of a fugue.
  • sans [French] “Without”.
  • passing note In part writing, A non-harmonic note that appears between two notes in stepwise motion. Usually it is a link between a melodic interval of a third in one of the voices.
  • tardamente [Italian] Slowly.
  • mediant The third note of a diatonic scale.
  • conjunct Smooth, connected, moving in stepwise motion.
  • monody Term applied to Italian songs written to be performed by one voice with instrumental accompaniment dating from the first half of the 17th century.
  • dynamics The softness or loudness of a sound or note.
  • tempo [Italian] Literally, “time”. The speed of a piece of music, usually reckoned by the rate of its beats.
  • concert A public musical performance.
  • shape note Music notation system originating in nineteenth century American church music in which the shape of the note heads determines the pitch; created to aid music reading.
  • beruhigend [German] Relaxing, melodious.
  • mesto [Italian] Sad.
  • mezzo-soprano [Italian] The female voice between soprano and contralto.
  • neoromantic A compositional style of the 20th century embodying the techniques and characteristics of the romantic period.