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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Some random terms

  • trio [Italian] A composition for three performers.
  • hairpin The symbol, made up of two joined lines, used to indicate a crescendo or a decrescendo.
  • melisma (Plural: melismata.) A group of notes sung melodically to a single syllable.
  • retransition In sonata-allegro form, the last part of the development which leads to the tonic of the main key and usually emphasizes it.
  • penny whistle A folk wind instrument similar to the recorder, but usually made of tin. It generally has six finger holes, and is prominent in British and Irish folk music.
  • parallel motion In part writing, parallel motion occurs when two voices move keeping exactly the same interval between them.
  • vif [French] A tempo directive meaning “lively”.
  • part writing The component of counterpoint that recognizes each voice as an individual, horizontal melody rather than as a part of the resultant, vertical chords.
  • style Characteristic manner of presentation of musical elements: melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, form, etc.
  • bepop Complex jazz style developed in the 1940s.
  • overtone A constituent frequency of a sound other than the fundamental frequency.
  • dorian A mode used in Gregorian chant based upon the second tone of the major scale. In the key of C, the Dorian mode would be based on D, and would include D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D.
  • response Short choral answer to a solo verse; an element of liturgical dialogue.
  • caesura [Latin] Break or interruption in music, with complete cessation of musical time. It is notated by two diagonal lines across the top line of a staff.
  • 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.