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

  • cent A logarithmic unit used in measuring the difference between two pitches in an equal-tempered scale. One cent is one one-hundredth of an equal-tempered semitone.
  • dolente [Italian] Sorrowful.
  • savamment [French] Skilfully, expertly; with knowledge and experience.
  • pesante [Italian] “Heavy”, slow or with importance.
  • bel canto [Italian] Literally “beautiful singing”. Elegant Italian vocal style, characterized by florid melodic lines and delivered by voices of great agility, smoothness and purity of tone.
  • metrical modulation The shifting from one meter to another in the middle of a composition.
  • sonoro [Italian] Resounding.
  • Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis [German] The numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach.
  • bourrée [French] An old French dance in use during the Baroque period, very rapid and hearty, usually in 2/4 or 2/2 time.
  • spiritoso [Italian] Spirited, lively.
  • stentato [Italian] Labored, heavy, in a dragging manner, sluggish. Alternatively, strong and forced.
  • misurato [Italian] A directive to perform in a measured or strict tempo.
  • martial music Music with a military feeling.
  • attack The method of beginning a phrase.
  • tremolo [Italian] A rapid alternation between two notes.