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

  • mezzo forte [Italian] Moderately loud. Not quite so loud as forte.
  • estampie [French] A type of early instrumental music of the 13th and 14th centuries, consisting of independent sections strung together.
  • metrical modulation The shifting from one meter to another in the middle of a composition.
  • bass The lowest part in a musical composition.
  • monotone A single sustained, unvarying tone, or a succession of notes of the same tone. Often used in the recitation of liturgical texts.
  • chord progression Series of chords played in order.
  • Ryom Verzeichnis [German] A numbering system identifying compositions by Antonio Vivaldi.
  • quasi [Italian] “Almost”.
  • ut [Latin] The syllable first associated with the tonic of the key, now replaced by the syllable "Do" but still used in France. In the fixed Do system, this is always C.
  • seventh An interval of seven diatonic degrees, counting the first and last degree.
  • espressione [Italian] “Expression”.
  • root The fundamental note of a chord.
  • larghetto [Italian] A tempo not quite as slow as largo, usually around 60–66 BPM.
  • sequence Restatement of an idea or motive at a different pitch level.
  • con semplicità [Italian] “With simplicity”.