Multilingual Music Glossary

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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

  • metronome Device used to indicate the tempo by sounding regular beats at adjustable speeds.
  • vibrato [Italian] Small fluctuation of pitch and/or volume, used to add expression and vocal-like qualities to instrumental music.
  • malinconico [Italian] Melancholic.
  • bepop Complex jazz style developed in the 1940s.
  • transverse flute The regular orchestral flute, as distinct from the recorder.
  • clos [French] The second ending of a repeated section.
  • guerriero [Italian] Martial, warlike.
  • capriccio [Italian] A piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. The typical capriccio is fast, intense, and often virtuosic in nature.
  • toccata [Italian] Virtuoso composition, generally for organ or harpsichord, in a free and rhapsodic style; in the Baroque, it often served as the introduction to a fugue.
  • dodecaphony Ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale are sounded as often as one another in a piece of music while preventing the emphasis of any.
  • chaconne [French] Baroque form in 3/4 time similar to the passacaglia, in which the variations are based on a repeated chord progression.
  • larigot [French] A shepherd's flute or pipe.
  • threnody A poem, a song, or an instrumental composition that expresses lament for the dead.
  • accompaniment Additional but subordinate music used to support a melodic line. Also, the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble in a supporting manner.
  • modulation Moving from one key to another.