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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Some random terms

  • codetta [Italian] Literally, “little tail”. A passage similar to a coda, but on a smaller scale, concluding a section of a work instead of the work as a whole.
  • quadruplum [Latin] Polyphony having four voices. Also, the highest of these voices.
  • diminution A Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation which consists of the restatement of a melody in which the note values are shortened, usually by half.
  • divisi [Italian] Literally, “divided”. A directive in ensemble music that instructs one section to divide into two or more separate sections, each playing a separate part. Often these separate parts are written on the same staff.
  • zart [German] Tender, delicate.
  • parody A humorous or satirical composition which exaggerates the features of some other composition.
  • mambo [Spanish] Dance of Afro-Cuban origin with a characteristic quadruple-meter rhythmic pattern.
  • con grazia [Italian] “With grace”.
  • ictus [Latin] The instant when a beat occurs.
  • siciliana [Italian] A type of aria or instrumental movement in the late 17th and 18th centuries, normally written as a dance in a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time with short phrases.
  • mezza voce [Italian] Literally, “half voice”. A directive to perform in a quiet or restrained manner.
  • Cecilia [Italian] Saint honored as the patroness of music.
  • disco Commercial dance music popular in the 1970s, characterized by strong percussion in a quadruple meter.
  • caesura [Latin] Break or interruption in music, with complete cessation of musical time. It is notated by two diagonal lines across the top line of a staff.
  • largamente [Italian] With a broad, full sound.