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

  • acoustical instrument Any musical instrument not relying on external power for operation.
  • waltz Ballroom dance type in triple meter; in the Romantic era, a short, stylized piano piece.
  • head voice The highest register of the voice, excluding falsetto.
  • diminuendo [Italian] A directive to smoothly decrease the volume.
  • schnell [German] Fast.
  • non [Italian] “Not”.
  • relative pitch The ability to identify any pitch in reference to a given pitch.
  • 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.
  • rinforzando [Italian] Literally, “reinforcing”. Dynamic marking indicating that several notes, or a short phrase, are to be emphasized.
  • suite [French] A work made up of a series of contrasting dance movements, generally all in the same key.
  • program symphony A multi-movement composition with extra-musical content that directs the attention of the listener to a literary or pictorial association.
  • legatissimo [Italian] Very legato, extremely smooth and connected.
  • prelude An instrumental composition intended to introduce a larger composition or a set of compositions.
  • anacrusis One or more unstressed notes preceding the first downbeat in a bar.
  • divisi [Italian] Literally, “divided”. A directive in ensemble music that instructs one section to divide into two or more separate sections, each playing a separate part. Often these separate parts are written on the same staff.