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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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

  • dal segno [Italian] A directive to go back to a specific place of a composition, marked by a sign.
  • minstrel A court musician or entertainer of the 12th through 17th centuries who performed professionally.
  • andante [Italian] Literally, “going”. A moderate tempo marking, usually around 76–108 BPM.
  • fipple The block, typically of wood, that forms the floor of the windway of an edge-blown aerophone.
  • moresca [Italian] An exotic Renaissance dance simulating a battle between the Moors and the Christians.
  • instrumentation The particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition.
  • quadruplum [Latin] Polyphony having four voices. Also, the highest of these voices.
  • pointed arms On a flute, arms connecting the keys to the rods which are pointed and extend to the keys' centers; found on more expensive flutes.
  • foxtrot Ballroom dance popular in the 19th century.
  • acoustics The science that deals with the study of sound. Also, the art of optimizing sound in a room or other enclosed space, considering reverberation and other acoustical qualities.
  • dramatic soprano A soprano voice type with a heavier tone color and more power throughout her range.
  • treble The highest part of a polyphonic composition.
  • poco a poco [Italian] Little by little.
  • leggerissimo [Italian] Very light, very delicate.
  • second The interval between two neighbouring tones of a scale. Since a diatonic scale consists of alternating semitones and whole tones, the size of a second depends on the scale degrees in question.