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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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

  • perfect Term applied to the intervals of a unison, octave, fourth, and fifth when they are exactly in tune and not augmented nor diminished.
  • theme The musical basis upon which a composition is built. Usually a theme consists of a recognizable melody or a characteristic rhythmic pattern.
  • staccato [Italian] A style of playing notes in a detached, separated, distinct manner, as opposed to legato.
  • vocalese A style or genre of jazz singing wherein lyrics are written for melodies that were originally part of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation.
  • flageolet [French] A simple recorder with four finger holes, popular in the 17th century in England.
  • motive The briefest intelligible and self-contained fragment of a musical theme or subject.
  • al niente [Italian] Literally, “to nothing”. Fade to silence.
  • compound harmony Regular harmony with an added octave in the bass.
  • sonata-rondò [Italian] A form of a composition that displays characteristics of both the rondò and the sonata forms.
  • head joint The top section of a flute, with the tone hole where the player initiates the sound by blowing air across the opening.
  • codetta [Italian] Literally, “little tail”. A passage similar to a coda, but on a smaller scale, concluding a section of a work instead of the work as a whole.
  • zarzuela [Spanish] A Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance.
  • jig A vigorous dance originating in the British Isles in the 15th century or earlier, usually in compound meter.
  • offset G On a flute, a G key which is extended to the side of the other two left-hand finger keys (along with the G♯ key), thus requiring less bending of the wrist, rendering it easier to reach and cover effectively, and less uncomfortable and fatiguing to play.
  • counterpoint The art of combining two or more melodies to be performed simultaneously. In counterpoint, the melody is supported by another melody rather than by chords.