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

  • lauda [Latin] Laud, hymn of praise.
  • strathspey A lively Scottish dance in 4/4 time related to the reel. A characteristic of this dance is the peculiar rhythmic pattern of a dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth, known as the Scotch snap.
  • relative key The major and minor keys that share the same key signature.
  • melodrama A spoken dialogue that is accompanied by music.
  • temperament The division of an octave into twelve equal parts.
  • middle C First C below the 440 Hz A. It is the note on the ledger line halfway between the bass and treble clef on the grand staff. It is the lowest C that a concert flute can make.
  • doppio [Italian] “Double”.
  • intontito [Italian] Dull, numbed, dazed, stunned.
  • brio [Italian] Vivacity, spirit, liveliness.
  • canto [Italian] Literally, “singing”. The highest vocal part in choral music.
  • response Short choral answer to a solo verse; an element of liturgical dialogue.
  • inversion The position of a chord when the fundamental is not the lowest note. Also, the inversion of the order of the notes of an interval, obtained by raising or lowering either of the notes the necessary number of octaves.
  • garbato [Italian] Kind, amiable, graceful
  • schnell [German] Fast.
  • modo [Italian] Way, manner.