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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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

  • obbligato [Italian] Literally, “obligatory”. Important part of a music that that should not be omitted.
  • diminution A Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation which consists of the restatement of a melody in which the note values are shortened, usually by half.
  • whole note The note with the longest duration in currently used Western music notation.
  • diabolus in musica [Latin] Literally, “the devil in music”. A medieval name for the tritone.
  • cantoris [Latin] Literally, “of the cantor”. In Anglican church music, referring to the half of the choir sitting on the cantor's side of the church.
  • bergamasca [Italian] A kind of Renaissance clumsy rustic dance.
  • melisma (Plural: melismata.) A group of notes sung melodically to a single syllable.
  • geistvoll [German] Spirited, brilliant; with great sound.
  • ganz [German] Whole, entire, all.
  • K Either Köchel or Kirkpatrick.
  • SATB An abbreviation used to denote the number of voice parts in a vocal composition. It implies that the composition has one soprano part, one alto part, one tenor part, and one bass part. Common variants of this are: SSATTB (Soprano in two-parts, Alto, Tenor in two-parts , and Bass), SSATB, SSA, TTBB, etc.
  • ricapitolazione [Italian] Recapitulation.
  • middle C First C below the 440 Hz A. It is the note on the ledger line halfway between the bass and treble clef on the grand staff. It is the lowest C that a concert flute can make.
  • comme ci-dessus [French] “As above”.
  • common chord A chord that appears in more than one key. Frequently used in modulation.