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

  • foot joint The last section of a flute, played farthest towards the right.
  • inquieto [Italian] Restless, uneasy, agitated.
  • disjunct A melodic line that moves by leaps and skips rather than in steps.
  • risoluto [Italian] Bold, resolute.
  • grand opera A style of opera that was developed in France in the 19th century that involved no spoken dialogue. It contained huge choruses, serious plots, elaborate dance episodes, ornate costumes and spectacular scenery.
  • lai [French] A song form composed in northern Europe, mainly France and Germany, from the 13th to the late 14th century.
  • tablature Any form of musical notation using symbols or letters rather than notes on the staff to describe pitches.
  • maestro [Italian] A title of respect given to a master musician.
  • saltando [Italian] Proceeding in leaps or skips.
  • vago [Italian] Vague, indefinite.
  • direct motion Similar or parallel motion in which two or more parts rise or fall in the same direction simultaneously.
  • simile [Italian] “Similar”. Often used to designate the continuation of the use of an articulation without repeating the articulation symbol.
  • music Broadly speaking, sounds organized to express a wide variety of human emotions.
  • rock A loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950s, characterized by a hard, driving duple meter and amplified instrumental accompaniment.
  • pastorale [Italian] Pastoral, country-like.