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

  • through-composed Song form that is composed from beginning to end without repetitions of any major sections, each verse having its own, unique melody.
  • ambitus [Latin] A range of pitches for a given voice in a part of music. It may also denote the pitch range that a musical instrument is capable of playing.
  • music Broadly speaking, sounds organized to express a wide variety of human emotions.
  • strepitoso [Italian] Boisterous, noisy.
  • con amore [Italian] “With love”, lovingly.
  • Middle Ages A period from about 600 AD until about 1450 AD. Sometimes divided divided into two periods, the early middle ages (ca. 600–1100) and the late middle ages or Gothic Period (ca. 1100–1450).
  • cut off An arm and hand motion by a conductor that indicates to an ensemble that they stop performing. This is normally done at the end of a composition, at the end of a movement or section, or on a fermata.
  • incipit [Latin] The beginning of a musical composition.
  • rigaudon [French] A lively French dance, originally a folk dance but also a court dance and an instrumental form, in duple meter.
  • piccolo [Italian] Literally, “small”. A small flute that sounds an octave above the regular flute, and also an octave above its written music.
  • réjouissance [French] A jubilant composition used to conclude some Baroque orchestral suites.
  • stromentato [Italian] Accompanied.
  • tablature Any form of musical notation using symbols or letters rather than notes on the staff to describe pitches.
  • chanson [French] French polyphonic song of the Middle Ages and Renaissance set to either courtly or popular poetry.
  • burlesco [Italian] Jocular, in a playful style.