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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Some random terms

  • falsetto [Italian] Vocal technique whereby men can sing above their normal range, producing a lighter sound.
  • secco [Italian] Literally, “dry”. A directive to perform in an unornamented, cold manner. It usually implies that the notes should be of short duration.
  • bel canto [Italian] Literally “beautiful singing”. Elegant Italian vocal style, characterized by florid melodic lines and delivered by voices of great agility, smoothness and purity of tone.
  • con passione [Italian] “With passion”.
  • vaudeville [French] A variety show with unrelated acts consisting of stand-up comedy, virtuoso instrumental and vocal performance, and song and dance acts.
  • oral tradition Music that is transmitted by example or imitation and performed from memory.
  • rastrum [Latin] A pen that has five points (nibs), for use in notating staff lines.
  • zarzuela [Spanish] A Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance.
  • relish An ornament of the English Renaissance and Baroque eras. A single relish consists of a trill with a turned ending or simply a turn. A double relish is a compound ornament, defined differently by different writers, but usually including a trill or an appoggiatura.
  • timoroso [Italian] Timorous, fearful; with hesitation.
  • ensemble [French] A group of musicians that perform as a unit.
  • spiccato [Italian] Very separated, detached.
  • solo [Italian] A passage that is to be performed by a single performer.
  • piccolo [Italian] Literally, “small”. A small flute that sounds an octave above the regular flute, and also an octave above its written music.
  • technique The mechanical aspect of performing a composition.