Multilingual Music Glossary

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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

  • formalism The tendency to elevate the formal aspects above the expressive value in music, as in Neoclassical music.
  • opéra comique [French] French comic opera that is not necessarily sung throughout.
  • stabile [Italian] Firm.
  • sight-singing The practice of singing a composition at sight, without previous preparation.
  • score The complete musical notation of a composition, especially for an ensemble, where the individual parts are lined up vertically.
  • secular Nonreligious.
  • l'istesso tempo [Italian] Literally, “the same tempo”. An indication that directs that the beat remains constant when the meter changes.
  • chamber music Ensemble music for two to about ten players, with one player to a part and usually without a conductor, intended for performance in a room or chamber as opposed to a church or larger building.
  • capriccio [Italian] A piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. The typical capriccio is fast, intense, and often virtuosic in nature.
  • close The ending of a composition or passage.
  • Stück [German] A piece of music.
  • triplet Three notes of equal length that are to be performed in the duration of two notes of equal length.
  • über [German] “Above”, “over”.
  • second The interval between two neighbouring tones of a scale. Since a diatonic scale consists of alternating semitones and whole tones, the size of a second depends on the scale degrees in question.
  • monophony Music that is written for only one voice or part.