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

  • trepak A Russian dance in quick duple meter.
  • werden [German] To become.
  • overtone A constituent frequency of a sound other than the fundamental frequency.
  • lieblich [German] Charming, lovely.
  • passing note In part writing, A non-harmonic note that appears between two notes in stepwise motion. Usually it is a link between a melodic interval of a third in one of the voices.
  • Konzertstück [German] An informal “concert piece”, usually in one movement, for solo instruments and orchestra.
  • dampen A directive to muffle, deaden or restrain the tone of an instrument.
  • deciso [Italian] Decided, bold.
  • mit [German] “With”.
  • simple interval An interval covering a single octave or less.
  • branle [French] Quick French group dance of the Renaissance.
  • quadruple meter Metrical pattern with four beats to a measure.
  • hairpin The symbol, made up of two joined lines, used to indicate a crescendo or a decrescendo.
  • cotillion [French] A popular dance in the French Courts in the 18th and 19th century, that preceded the Quadrille style of dancing.
  • virelai [French] A Medieval and Renaissance form of French poetry and song, written in an ABBA form with a courtly text.