Multilingual Music Glossary

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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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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

  • sciolto [Italian] A directive to perform at ease, in a light, free manner.
  • mambo [Spanish] Dance of Afro-Cuban origin with a characteristic quadruple-meter rhythmic pattern.
  • instrumentation The particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition.
  • polychord The simultaneous use of two or more simple chords (such as triads), a technique used in 20th century compositions.
  • relative key The major and minor keys that share the same key signature.
  • syllabic The style of chant which sets one note to each syllable of text.
  • inconsolato [Italian] Disconsolate, mournful.
  • sonatina [Italian] A form popular in the late classical era that consisted of a short or “light” sonata; often the sonatina contained an exposition and recapitulation without the development section. The form has been revived in the 20th century by various composers.
  • malinconico [Italian] Melancholic.
  • sideman A slang term for a musician in an ensemble who is not the leader of the ensemble.
  • incidental music Music written to accompany dramatic works.
  • recorder A wind instrument of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras. The recorder is a simple instrument related to the flute; it is sounded by blowing into one end and the pitch is adjusted by covering finger holes.
  • 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.
  • ohne [German] “Without”.
  • countermelody A sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent melody.