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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Some random terms

  • big band A type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones and a rhythm section.
  • fertig [German] Dexterous, nimble, quick.
  • septet A piece for seven singers or instrumentalists. Also, a group of such musicians.
  • bizzarro [Italian] Odd, whimsical, irregular.
  • ensemble [French] A group of musicians that perform as a unit.
  • natural minor scale A scale similar to the major scale, but with the third, sixth and seventh degrees lowered by a semitone.
  • repercussion The frequent repetition of the same sound. Also, the re-entrance of the subject and answer in a fugue following other material.
  • quieto [Italian] Calm, serene.
  • uguale [Italian] Equal, the same.
  • allegrezza [Italian] Cheerfulness, happiness, joyfulness.
  • calypso A style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the beginning of the 20th century.
  • jig A vigorous dance originating in the British Isles in the 15th century or earlier, usually in compound meter.
  • springer An ornament consisting of the main tone followed by the tone above it followed by the tone above that, then returning to the original main tone.
  • bossa nova [Portuguese] Brazilian dance related to the samba, popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
  • ancora [Italian] “Again”.