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

  • ritmico [Italian] Literally, “rhythmic”. A directive to strictly conform to the written rhythm, emphasizing it.
  • l'istesso tempo [Italian] Literally, “the same tempo”. An indication that directs that the beat remains constant when the meter changes.
  • glee club Originally, a club designed for the singing of glees, originating in 1787 and dissolved in 1857. In modern usage, a glee club is a club usually, but not necessarily, exclusive to males, organized for the singing of vocal compositions.
  • cent A logarithmic unit used in measuring the difference between two pitches in an equal-tempered scale. One cent is one one-hundredth of an equal-tempered semitone.
  • world music A 20th century term used by the music recording industry to categorize non-American music that does not fit into any of the established genres. This music tends to be folk music from outside of the United States of America.
  • woodwind quintet Standard chamber ensemble consisting of one each of the following: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn (not a woodwind instrument).
  • tronco [Italian] A directive to perform a certain passage short or “cut off”.
  • gavotte [French] Duple meter baroque dance of a pastoral character.
  • rap An American style of rhythmic chanting consisting of improvised rhymes performed to rhythmic accompaniment.
  • vocal range The range of notes that a singing voice can encompass.
  • false note A muted or dampened note that has rhythm but often no discernible pitch.
  • clef In musical notation, a symbol at the beginning of a staff that determines the pitches of the lines and spaces. The most common clefs are treble, for indicating pitches mostly above middle C, and bass, for indicating pitches mostly below middle C.
  • acciaccatura [Italian] A short grace note, typically notated with a slash through the stem or flag, that quickly resolves to the main note.
  • diminution A Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation which consists of the restatement of a melody in which the note values are shortened, usually by half.
  • molto [Italian] “Very”, “much”.