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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Some random terms

  • Burgundian chanson Fifteenth century French composition, usually for three voices, some or all of which may be played by instruments.
  • 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.
  • moderato [Italian] A moderate tempo, faster than andante but slower than allegretto, usually around 100–120 BPM.
  • pomposo [Italian] Pompous, stately, or ceremonious.
  • foot joint The last section of a flute, played farthest towards the right.
  • leggiero [Italian] Light, delicate.
  • symphonic poem A piece of orchestral music in one principal self-contained section called a “movement” in which a program from a poem, a story or novel, a painting, or another source is illustrated or evoked.
  • xylophone A percussion instrument consisting of a row of chromatically tuned wooden bars, arranged in the manner of a piano keyboard.
  • più [Italian] “More”.
  • Hertz [German] The basic unit of measurement of frequency, definable as one cycle per second. Usually abbreviated “Hz”.
  • vite [French] Fast.
  • forefall An ascending appoggiatura.
  • slur A curved line drawn over or under a series of notes, indicating that those notes should be played legato.
  • ninth An interval of five diatonic degrees, counting the first and last degree.
  • common chord A chord consisting of the root, third, and fifth.