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

  • bass flute A flute that plays one octave below the concert flute.
  • terraced dynamics Expressive style typical of some early music in which volume levels shift abruptly from soft to loud and back without gradual crescendos and decrescendos.
  • inflection Small alteration of the pitch by a microtonal interval.
  • dramatic soprano A soprano voice type with a heavier tone color and more power throughout her range.
  • severità [Italian] Strictness, severity.
  • consonance An accord of sounds sweet and pleasing to the ear.
  • pibroch Scottish traditional theme and variation form music to be performed on the bagpipe. This term refers to the more serious, courtly music rather than to dance music and military music.
  • dolce [Italian] Sweet, soft, with tender emotion.
  • pochettino [Italian] A little bit.
  • fifth An interval of five diatonic degrees, counting the first and last degree.
  • sospirando [Italian] Sighing.
  • vago [Italian] Vague, indefinite.
  • zu [German] Shown as zu2, zu3, etc., it is a directive to indicate the number of musicians to perform the indicated passage of music.
  • non-imitative counterpoint A musical texture in which independent voices of different character compete for attention.
  • fauxbourdon [French] A technique of musical harmonization used in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. It consists of the cantus firmus and two other parts a sixth and a perfect fourth below.