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

  • rhythm The subdivision of time into a defined pattern.
  • facile [Italian] “Easy”.
  • con fuoco [Italian] Literally, “with fire”. A directive to play with vehement energy or fervid emotion.
  • amorevole [Italian] Loving, affectionate.
  • windway The pathway or duct in the mouthpiece of a edge-blown aerophone that directs the air stream over the fipple and onto the labium where the air is split and vibrates to produce a sound.
  • allmählich [German] Used in conjunction with a tempo directive to indicate that the directive should be performed gradually, little by little.
  • opéra comique [French] French comic opera that is not necessarily sung throughout.
  • incidental music Music written to accompany dramatic works.
  • tronco [Italian] A directive to perform a certain passage short or “cut off”.
  • concertino [Italian] The small group of solo instruments used in a concerto grosso in contrast to the whole body of the orchestra.
  • Rinaldi numbers A numbering system identifying compositions by Antonio Vivaldi.
  • tourney A composition created for a tournament, popular in the 17th century especially in Italy and France. Tourneys were often used in weddings and other festive occasions.
  • overtone A constituent frequency of a sound other than the fundamental frequency.
  • tyrolienne [French] A dance form in quick triple meter.
  • flageolet [French] A simple recorder with four finger holes, popular in the 17th century in England.