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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Some random terms

  • tacet [Latin] Literally, “he is silent”. An indication that a performer is to be silent for some time.
  • prestissimo [Italian] Extremely fast tempo marking, usually around 200 BPM.
  • part In instrumental or choral music, the music for a single instrument or voice.
  • double tonguing A technique used in playing the flute and brass instruments which allows notes to be played in rapid succession. It is achieved by rapidly forming the consonants “T” and “K” in quick succession.
  • attack The method of beginning a phrase.
  • tierce de Picardie [French] A practice from the baroque era of ending a composition with a major chord, when the rest of the composition is in a minor key, thus giving the composition a sense of finality.
  • tronco [Italian] A directive to perform a certain passage short or “cut off”.
  • vite [French] Fast.
  • through-composed Song form that is composed from beginning to end without repetitions of any major sections, each verse having its own, unique melody.
  • con brio [Italian] With vivacity or spirit.
  • French model A flute with pointed French-style arms and open-hole finger keys, as distinguished from the plateau style with closed holes.
  • relish An ornament of the English Renaissance and Baroque eras. A single relish consists of a trill with a turned ending or simply a turn. A double relish is a compound ornament, defined differently by different writers, but usually including a trill or an appoggiatura.
  • alborada [Spanish] Literally, “dawn”. Lively instrumental composition to be played at daybreak, usually in 6/8 time.
  • quasi [Italian] “Almost”.
  • doppio [Italian] “Double”.