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

  • custos [Latin] (Plural: custodes.) A symbol that appears at the end of a staff line with a single voice). It anticipates the first note of the following line and thus helps the player or singer to manage line breaks during performance. Custodes were frequently used until the 16th century.
  • key signature The sharps or flats appearing at the beginning of each staff indicating the key of the music.
  • ragtime Late nineteenth century piano style created by African-Americans, characterized by highly syncopated melodies.
  • strict counterpoint The strict application of the rules of part writing.
  • placido [Italian] Calm, placid.
  • passepied [French] A baroque dance in triple meter.
  • trio sonata [Italian] A baroque sonata for two treble instruments and continuo, generally requiring four performers.
  • virelai [French] A Medieval and Renaissance form of French poetry and song, written in an ABBA form with a courtly text.
  • 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.
  • serioso [Italian] Serious, grave.
  • whole note The note with the longest duration in currently used Western music notation.
  • vocal music music that is written or arranged to be performed by human voices.
  • concertante [Italian] A part that calls for some element of solo performance, as in a classical concerto.
  • polka A lively ballroom dance of Bohemian origin in duple meter greatly, popular in the 19th century. Also a short, lyric piano composition.
  • tune An air or melody, a succession of sounds that has definite character and shape and is pleasing to the ear.