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

  • arabesque [French] An ornament or an embellished work. The term is taken from the Arabic art and architecture which is very ornate.
  • passamezzo [Italian] A 16th and 17th century Italian dance similar to or identical to the pavane.
  • ossia [Italian] An alternative version of a music, usually only a few measures long and marked as an added staff.
  • A440 The standard tuning of the A above middle C at 440 Hz.
  • burlesco [Italian] Jocular, in a playful style.
  • tuning The adjustment of the pitch of an instrument. Also, the set pitches to which an instrument is tuned.
  • hopak A folk Ukrainian dance, introduced to the orchestra by such composers as Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky.
  • conjunct Smooth, connected, moving in stepwise motion.
  • Schleppend [German] Dragging.
  • relative key The major and minor keys that share the same key signature.
  • modérément [French] “Moderately”.
  • anthem A choral setting of an English religious text similar to a motet, usually used in church with or without organ accompaniment.
  • mosso [Italian] Moved, agitated.
  • moins [French] “Less”.
  • empfindungsvoll [German] Feelingly.