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

  • tertian harmony Term applied to harmony which is based upon the interval of the third.
  • gaudioso [Italian] Joyous, joyful.
  • lointain [French] “Distant”, “faraway”.
  • pastorale [Italian] Pastoral, country-like.
  • al segno [Italian] A directive to return to the sign.
  • spigliato [Italian] Self-confident, bold, smooth.
  • répertoire [French] A list of compositions that an individual or ensemble is prepared to perform or that are available for performance.
  • Noël [French] Christmas.
  • ionian In the system of modes, the ionian mode is the one based on C; therefore, it is the modern major scale.
  • sextet A piece for six singers or instrumentalists. Also, a group of such musicians.
  • A440 The standard tuning of the A above middle C at 440 Hz.
  • threnody A poem, a song, or an instrumental composition that expresses lament for the dead.
  • galliard [French] Lively triple-meter French court dance.
  • Motown A style of music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1960s.
  • oral tradition Music that is transmitted by example or imitation and performed from memory.