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

  • ritenuto [Italian] Literally, “kept back”. Immediate reduction of speed.
  • furioso [Italian] “Furious”.
  • allant [French] Going on, lively.
  • traurig [German] Sad.
  • energico [Italian] With energy, vigorous.
  • terraced dynamics Expressive style typical of some early music in which volume levels shift abruptly from soft to loud and back without gradual crescendos and decrescendos.
  • frequency Rate of vibration of a string or column of air, which determines pitch. Usually measured in Hertz (Hz).
  • liturgy In those churches that use standard written forms of services, the ritual or service of public worship.
  • trill Ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between one tone and the next above it.
  • teneramente [Italian] Tenderly.
  • tailgate A slang term for a trombone Glissando in Dixieland jazz.
  • hairpin The symbol, made up of two joined lines, used to indicate a crescendo or a decrescendo.
  • petite reprise [French] Repetition of the last few measures of a piece after a larger repetition. The starting point of the section to be repeated is usually indicated with a small “segno”.
  • quadruplum [Latin] Polyphony having four voices. Also, the highest of these voices.
  • recitative A flexible style of vocal delivery employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata and tailored to the accents and rhythms of the text.