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

  • closed-hole A flute finger key which is fully covered.
  • backbeat A style of rhythmic accentuation that puts accents on even beats. In common time this means having accents on beats 2 and 4.
  • mordent An ornament indicating that a note is to be played in a single rapid alternation with the note above or below.
  • aria [Italian] Lyric song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, generally expressing intense emotion; found in opera, cantata, and oratorio.
  • circular breathing Technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. This is accomplished by breathing in through the nose while simultaneously blowing out through the mouth using air stored in the cheeks.
  • concerto [Italian] A three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.
  • détaché [French] Not slurred.
  • consonance An accord of sounds sweet and pleasing to the ear.
  • moins [French] “Less”.
  • sarabande [French] Stately Spanish baroque dance type in triple meter, a standard movement of the Baroque suite.
  • fois [French] “Time”, as in “first time” (première fois) or “second time” (deuxieme fois).
  • farce A comedy which aims to entertain the audience by means of extravagant and improbable situations.
  • dolcissimo [Italian] Very sweet, very soft.
  • lullaby A cradle song. A song sung to a child to soothe him to sleep or a gentle, quiet song.
  • klein [German] Literally, “little”. In reference to intervals, “minor“.