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

  • envoi [French] A short final stanza of a ballade which serves as a summary or dedication.
  • grandioso [Italian] Majestic, grand, noble.
  • languendo [Italian] Languishing.
  • tasto solo [Italian] Literally, “key only”. A directive indicating that a note is to be performed without harmony, especially used in compositions that use continuo.
  • grave [Italian] The slowest tempo in music, usually slower than 40 BPM.
  • dolcissimo [Italian] Very sweet, very soft.
  • rap An American style of rhythmic chanting consisting of improvised rhymes performed to rhythmic accompaniment.
  • gymel A Medieval technique of splitting one voice part into two parts, both with the same range. In most cases the voices would start and end together, but would diverge in the middle of the composition.
  • metronome Device used to indicate the tempo by sounding regular beats at adjustable speeds.
  • pop Term born as an abbreviation of popular music, that since the 1950s has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternative to rock and roll.
  • gebrochen [German] “Broken”.
  • verve [French] A high degree of energy, excitement or spirit. Often referred to as the artistic inspiration and special feeling of excitement that is used by artists to realize the expression of ideas in performance or composition.
  • just intonation Tuning system in which the notes are obtained by adding and subtracting natural fifths and thirds.
  • villancico [Spanish] A 15th and 16th century form of Spanish poetry that was often set to music.
  • maestoso [Italian] Majestic.