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

Hint: Don't worry about accents over letters, just skip them.

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

  • pochissimo [Italian] “Very little”.
  • cue-notes In a separate part, notes belonging to another part with the purpose of hinting when to start playing. Usually printed in a smaller type.
  • operetta [Italian] A less serious form of opera made up of spoken dialog, songs and dances.
  • ruhig [German] Calm, peaceful.
  • overtone A constituent frequency of a sound other than the fundamental frequency.
  • allargando [Italian] Growing broader, slowing down.
  • accablé [French] Overwhelmed.
  • technique The mechanical aspect of performing a composition.
  • species counterpoint A technique of strict counterpoint involving the addition of voices to a melody advancing from simple to more complex harmonies.
  • genre Term used to identify a general category of music that shares similar performance forces, formal structures and/or style.
  • perfect Term applied to the intervals of a unison, octave, fourth, and fifth when they are exactly in tune and not augmented nor diminished.
  • chart Colloquial or jazz term for a score or arrangement.
  • répertoire [French] A list of compositions that an individual or ensemble is prepared to perform or that are available for performance.
  • Ausdrucksvoll [German] Expressive.
  • tonguing In the performance of wind instruments, the technique of using the tongue to produce certain sounds and effects, and especially the technique in which notes are attacked and articulated.