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

  • courante [French] A family of triple meter dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era.
  • serein [French] Serene, calm.
  • deciso [Italian] Decided, bold.
  • intermedio [Italian] In the Renaissance, a musical entertainment between the acts of a play.
  • prestissimo [Italian] Extremely fast tempo marking, usually around 200 BPM.
  • double flat An accidental sign consisting of two flat symbols, that lowers a note by two semitones.
  • lento [Italian] Slow.
  • voce piena [Italian] “Full voice”.
  • passing note In part writing, A non-harmonic note that appears between two notes in stepwise motion. Usually it is a link between a melodic interval of a third in one of the voices.
  • homophony Music in which one voice leads melodically followed by the other voices more or less in the same rhythm. In contrast with polyphony.
  • anonymous A person whose name is unknown.
  • über [German] “Above”, “over”.
  • bravura [Italian] Literally, “skill”. Great dexterity and skill in execution.
  • farce A comedy which aims to entertain the audience by means of extravagant and improbable situations.
  • jive A form of blues popular in the 1940s.