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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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

  • interlude Any piece of music played or sung between the movements of a larger composition.
  • performance directions Words or symbols provided by composers to instruct performers in how their music is to be played, including articulation, dynamics, expression, and phrasing.
  • tone A sound of definite pitch and duration, as distinct from noise. Tone is a primary building material of music.
  • zu [German] Shown as zu2, zu3, etc., it is a directive to indicate the number of musicians to perform the indicated passage of music.
  • pas de deux [French] An established item in ballet consisting of a dance performed by two dancers.
  • sheet music A generic term to mean any piece of paper with the notation of a composition printed on on it.
  • national anthem A song, usually an anthem, a fanfare, a march, or a hymn, that is used as a national symbol.
  • additive meter A pattern of beats that subdivide into smaller, irregular groups. It is common in Eastern European musics, and contemporary compositions attempting to emulate such a sound. For example, a time signature like 9/8, which is normally subdivided as 3+3+3, may be subdivided by the composer as 2+3+2+2 for musical effect.
  • dramma giocoso [Italian] A kind of comic opera originating around 1750, with sentimental or pathetic plots bordering on tragedy rather than the traditional lighthearted comic plots.
  • tema [Italian] Theme, subject.
  • bossa nova [Portuguese] Brazilian dance related to the samba, popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
  • vibrato [Italian] Small fluctuation of pitch and/or volume, used to add expression and vocal-like qualities to instrumental music.
  • quickstep A dance popular in the 1920s in duple meter. Also, a fast march.
  • allegro [Italian] Literally, “cheerful”. A quick tempo marking, usually around 120–168 BPM.
  • A440 The standard tuning of the A above middle C at 440 Hz.