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

  • tristamente [Italian] Sadly.
  • sextuple meter Compound metrical pattern that consists of six beats to every measure.
  • cakewalk Traditional, syncopated African-American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the Southern United States.
  • dur [French] Literally, “hard”. With a harsh or ungraceful tone.
  • rhapsody A one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colors and tonalities.
  • pianississimo [Italian] Extremely soft, softer than pianissimo.
  • prima volta [Italian] “First time”; may refer to the first ending of a repetition.
  • medley A piece of music that is composed of melodies of other compositons strung together.
  • tonality The organization of a composition around a tonic.
  • tardo [Italian] Slow.
  • strain A division of a composition between two double bars. It can also be referred to as a section. A strain will typically contain a primary or secondary melody of the larger composition that is often repeated.
  • lacrimoso [Italian] Tearful.
  • Minnesang [German] A tradition of Medieval courtly and secular music in Germany, cultivated by the nobility. The main focus of the music of this tradition was the idea of Minnedienst, servitude to love, often illustrated as the devoted knight entirely loyal to an unattainable lady with no hope of her love in return.
  • head voice The highest register of the voice, excluding falsetto.
  • vif [French] A tempo directive meaning “lively”.