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

  • reel Moderately quick dance in duple meter danced throughout the British Isles; the most popular Irish traditional dance type.
  • assai [Italian] Much, very much.
  • exposition The first statement of a theme.
  • penny whistle A folk wind instrument similar to the recorder, but usually made of tin. It generally has six finger holes, and is prominent in British and Irish folk music.
  • concert pitch The tuning pitch of an ensemble, typically A440.
  • mit [German] “With”.
  • parallel motion In part writing, parallel motion occurs when two voices move keeping exactly the same interval between them.
  • largo [Italian] A slow and solemn tempo marking, usually around 40–60 BPM.
  • sarabande [French] Stately Spanish baroque dance type in triple meter, a standard movement of the Baroque suite.
  • Kirkpatrick numbers The numbering system identifying compositions by Domenico Scarlatti.
  • tacet [Latin] Literally, “he is silent”. An indication that a performer is to be silent for some time.
  • pas de deux [French] An established item in ballet consisting of a dance performed by two dancers.
  • national anthem A song, usually an anthem, a fanfare, a march, or a hymn, that is used as a national symbol.
  • forefall An ascending appoggiatura.
  • larghetto [Italian] A tempo not quite as slow as largo, usually around 60–66 BPM.