Multilingual Music Glossary

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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

  • sospirando [Italian] Sighing.
  • vite [French] Fast.
  • samba [Portuguese] Afro-Brazilian dance, characterized by duple meter, responsorial singing and polyrhythmic accompaniments.
  • recital A performance given by a soloist or a small ensemble.
  • gai [French] Gay, merry.
  • moins [French] “Less”.
  • secco [Italian] Literally, “dry”. A directive to perform in an unornamented, cold manner. It usually implies that the notes should be of short duration.
  • sheet music A generic term to mean any piece of paper with the notation of a composition printed on on it.
  • strain A division of a composition between two double bars. It can also be referred to as a section. A strain will typically contain a primary or secondary melody of the larger composition that is often repeated.
  • con furia [Italian] “With fury”.
  • non-harmonic note In part writing, a note that is dissonant with other notes in the same chord.
  • anthem A choral setting of an English religious text similar to a motet, usually used in church with or without organ accompaniment.
  • alborada [Spanish] Literally, “dawn”. Lively instrumental composition to be played at daybreak, usually in 6/8 time.
  • bas [French] Low in pitch.
  • ripieno [Italian] The notes added when realizing the figured bass of a basso continuo.