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

  • exposition The first statement of a theme.
  • common chord A chord consisting of the root, third, and fifth.
  • overtone A constituent frequency of a sound other than the fundamental frequency.
  • leise [German] Quiet.
  • reprise [French] Repetition.
  • inline G On a flute, the standard position of the left-hand G (third-finger) key: in line with the first and second keys.
  • un peu [French] A little.
  • laisser vibrer [French] A directive to the performer of a harp, piano, cymbal, or other struck or plucked instrument that the sound should not be damped or stopped after the initial attack, but should be allowed to die away naturally.
  • stretto [Italian] A directive to quicken the tempo.
  • Charleston A fast syncopated American dance popular in the 1920s.
  • bridge A passage connecting two sections of a composition.
  • non-imitative counterpoint A musical texture in which independent voices of different character compete for attention.
  • piano [Italian] Softly, quietly.
  • cadenza [Italian] An improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a free rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display.
  • dissonance Any interval or chord that sounds impure, harsh, or unstable.