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

  • sentence Term applied to a complete, independent musical idea, usually consisting of two or four phrases, ending with a cadence.
  • staccatissimo [Italian] A style of playing notes in a detached, separated, distinct manner that shortens the notated duration of the note in a more exaggerated way than normal staccato.
  • tyrolienne [French] A dance form in quick triple meter.
  • über [German] “Above”, “over”.
  • vocal range The range of notes that a singing voice can encompass.
  • gai [French] Gay, merry.
  • relative pitch The ability to identify any pitch in reference to a given pitch.
  • pienezza [Italian] “Fullness”.
  • belebend [German] Lively.
  • intermezzo [Italian] Short lyric piece or movement, often for piano. Also, a comic interlude performed between acts of an eighteenth century opera seria.
  • tremolo [Italian] A rapid alternation between two notes.
  • gymel A Medieval technique of splitting one voice part into two parts, both with the same range. In most cases the voices would start and end together, but would diverge in the middle of the composition.
  • rhythm section In a popular music band or ensemble, the performers who establish the rhythmic pulse of a song or musical piece, and who lay down the chordal structure.
  • phrasing The clear rendering in musical performance of the phrases of a melody.
  • precisamente [Italian] Precisely, exactly.