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

  • restez [French] A directive to remain on a note.
  • mezzo piano [Italian] Moderately soft. Not quite so soft as piano.
  • common chord A chord that appears in more than one key. Frequently used in modulation.
  • Ländler [German] A folk dance in 3/4 time which was popular in Austria, south Germany and German Switzerland at the end of the 18th century.
  • sans [French] “Without”.
  • orchestration The practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium.
  • dirge A generic term used for a composition designed specifically for a funeral or in commemoration of the dead.
  • a tempo [Italian] A directive to return to the original tempo after a deliberate deviation.
  • siciliana [Italian] A type of aria or instrumental movement in the late 17th and 18th centuries, normally written as a dance in a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time with short phrases.
  • rasch [German] Rapid, swift.
  • fado [Portuguese] A type of street song and dance of Portugal, usually accompanied by a guitar.
  • disco Commercial dance music popular in the 1970s, characterized by strong percussion in a quadruple meter.
  • minimalist music Contemporary musical style featuring the repetition of short melodic, rhythmic and harmonic patterns with little variation.
  • system The collection of staves, two or more, as used for writing down of keyboard, chamber, choral, or orchestral music.
  • countertenor A male voice of unusually high range, generally achieved through falsetto. The countertenor has the range of either the female alto or soprano.