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

  • recital A performance given by a soloist or a small ensemble.
  • texture The interweaving of melodic (horizontal) and harmonic (vertical) elements in the musical fabric. Texture is generally described as monophonic (single line), heterophonic (elaboration on a single line), homophonic (single line with accompaniment), or polyphonic (many voiced).
  • Manualiter [German] Organ compositions that are to be performed on the manual alone, i.e. without the pedals.
  • fluttertonguing Wind instrument technique in which the tongue is fluttered or trilled against the roof of the mouth.
  • sans [French] “Without”.
  • ganz [German] Whole, entire, all.
  • staggered breathing A technique used in musical ensembles by wind instruments to create the effect of a continuous sound with no breaks for performers to breathe. The effect is created by making sure that in each section no performer is breathing at the same time, so that it seems like no one is breathing at all.
  • program symphony A multi-movement composition with extra-musical content that directs the attention of the listener to a literary or pictorial association.
  • fortissimo-piano [Italian] A dynamic marking (ffp) indicating that the marked note should be attacked very loudly, instantly diminishing to a much softer volume.
  • triplet Three notes of equal length that are to be performed in the duration of two notes of equal length.
  • sight-singing The practice of singing a composition at sight, without previous preparation.
  • false note A muted or dampened note that has rhythm but often no discernible pitch.
  • double whole note A note twice as long as a whole note. Mainly used in pre-1650 music.
  • misterioso [Italian] Mysterious.
  • al fine [Italian] An indication to repeat a composition either from the beginning (da capo), or from the dal segno symbol, to the place marked fine (Italian for “end”).