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

  • parody A humorous or satirical composition which exaggerates the features of some other composition.
  • half note A note that has half the duration of time of a whole note.
  • sharp An accidental symbol that raises the pitch of a note by a semitone.
  • a due [Italian] For two voices or instruments; a duet. Also used to indicate that two instruments playing from the same part or score are to play in unison, after divisi or a solo passage for one of the instruments.
  • basse dance [French] A graceful, stately court dance of the early Renaissance.
  • wind ensemble An instrumental ensemble consisting of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.
  • furioso [Italian] “Furious”.
  • bossa nova [Portuguese] Brazilian dance related to the samba, popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
  • mezzo piano [Italian] Moderately soft. Not quite so soft as piano.
  • technique The mechanical aspect of performing a composition.
  • bestimmt [German] With decision.
  • salsa [Spanish] A contemporary Latin American dance music principally of Afro-Cuban tradition.
  • lacrimoso [Italian] Tearful.
  • ravvivando [Italian] Animating, brightening up; quickening.
  • a tempo [Italian] A directive to return to the original tempo after a deliberate deviation.