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 2456 terms from 12 languages, including English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Latin…

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Some random terms

  • madrigal Renaissance secular work originating in Italy for voices, with or without instruments, set to a short, lyric love poem.
  • ripieno [Italian] The notes added when realizing the figured bass of a basso continuo.
  • lieblich [German] Charming, lovely.
  • andante [Italian] Literally, “going”. A moderate tempo marking, usually around 76–108 BPM.
  • unter [German] “Below”, “under”.
  • basso continuo [Italian] Literally, “continuous bass”. A bass part that runs continuously throughout a work, characteristic of Baroque music.
  • duration The length of time that a note is sounded or a rest (silence) is observed.
  • sostenuto [Italian] Sustained.
  • maestoso [Italian] Majestic.
  • dissonance Any interval or chord that sounds impure, harsh, or unstable.
  • légèrement [French] Lightly.
  • fragmentation The technique of developing a theme by dividing it into smaller units; most common in the music of the Viennese Classicists.
  • quadruplet A group of four notes played in the time usually taken to play six.
  • pianississimo [Italian] Extremely soft, softer than pianissimo.
  • musique concrète [French] Music made up of natural sounds and sound effects that are recorded and then manipulated electronically.