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

  • stretto [Italian] A directive to quicken the tempo.
  • con tenerezza [Italian] “With tenderness”.
  • contralto [Italian] The lowest female voice.
  • note A notational symbol used to represent the duration of a sound and, when placed on a music staff, to also indicate the pitch of the sound.
  • fundamental A base pitch from which a series of harmonics is produced.
  • perfect pitch The ability of certain people to identify a given pitch without reference to any other pitch.
  • Motown A style of music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1960s.
  • mit [German] “With”.
  • con semplicità [Italian] “With simplicity”.
  • response Short choral answer to a solo verse; an element of liturgical dialogue.
  • split E mechanism On a flute, a system whereby the second G key (positioned below the G♯ key) is closed when the right middle-finger key is depressed, enabling a clearer third octave E; standard on most flutes, but omitted from many intermediate- and professional-grade flutes, as it can reduce the tonal quality of 3rd octave F♯.
  • fertig [German] Dexterous, nimble, quick.
  • habanera [Spanish] Moderate duple meter dance of Cuban origin, popular in the nineteenth century. It is based on a characteristic rhythmic figure.
  • interpretation The manner in which a performer carries out a composer's performance directions.
  • pienezza [Italian] “Fullness”.