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

  • response Short choral answer to a solo verse; an element of liturgical dialogue.
  • oral tradition Music that is transmitted by example or imitation and performed from memory.
  • 15mb [Italian] A directive to perform two octaves lower than written.
  • gai [French] Gay, merry.
  • affettuoso [Italian] Tender, loving, affectionate.
  • mancando [Italian] A directive for the volume to grow quieter and die away.
  • sordamente [Italian] Softly, gently, or in a muffled or damped style.
  • stromentato [Italian] Accompanied.
  • trio [Italian] A composition for three performers.
  • zu [German] Shown as zu2, zu3, etc., it is a directive to indicate the number of musicians to perform the indicated passage of music.
  • diminution A Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation which consists of the restatement of a melody in which the note values are shortened, usually by half.
  • recitative A flexible style of vocal delivery employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata and tailored to the accents and rhythms of the text.
  • stanchezza [Italian] Weariness.
  • common chord A chord that appears in more than one key. Frequently used in modulation.
  • form The structure of a composition, the frame upon which it is constructed.