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

  • mesto [Italian] Sad.
  • samba [Portuguese] Afro-Brazilian dance, characterized by duple meter, responsorial singing and polyrhythmic accompaniments.
  • affannoso [Italian] With anxious expression.
  • martellato [Italian] Literally, “hammered”. Strongly marked.
  • attack The method of beginning a phrase.
  • Abendmusik [German] Evening music, usually religious in nature, originating in the 17th century.
  • lento [Italian] Slow.
  • alborada [Spanish] Literally, “dawn”. Lively instrumental composition to be played at daybreak, usually in 6/8 time.
  • mazurka A lively Polish dance in 3/4 or 3/8 time with the accent usually on the second or third beat of the measure.
  • doucement [French] Softly.
  • mezzo forte [Italian] Moderately loud. Not quite so loud as forte.
  • Übung [German] Exercise.
  • pivot [French] A chord that is placed in a transition between two keys, serving a different function in each key and providing smooth movement between them.
  • glee An English part song for three or more voices originating in the 17th century.
  • espressivo [Italian] “Expressive”.