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

Hint: Don't worry about accents over letters, just skip them.

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…

You may browse the glossary alphabetically, or directly search for a term by using the search box above.

If you are looking for a symbol, check out our Guide to Musical Symbols.

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

  • common chord A chord consisting of the root, third, and fifth.
  • expression The blend of feeling and intellect brought to a performance by the performer.
  • ancora [Italian] “Still”, as in “still more slowly”.
  • gentile [Italian] Gentle, kind.
  • rasch [German] Rapid, swift.
  • calmo [Italian] Calm.
  • bourrée [French] An old French dance in use during the Baroque period, very rapid and hearty, usually in 2/4 or 2/2 time.
  • fanfare A short, lively, loud, militaristic composition, usually composed for brass instruments and percussions.
  • round Perpetual canon at the unison in which each voice enters in succession with the same melody.
  • mais [French] “But”.
  • Kantorei [German] The musicians of a Protestant German court.
  • trill Ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between one tone and the next above it.
  • sopra [Italian] “Above”.
  • prima donna [Italian] Literally, “first lady”. Term used in opera for the principal female singer of the opera or of the opera company.
  • incidental music Music written to accompany dramatic works.