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

  • nach [German] “After”.
  • perdendo [Italian] Losing volume.
  • opera A drama set to music, usually sung throughout, originating in 17th-century Italy.
  • opéra comique [French] French comic opera that is not necessarily sung throughout.
  • Biamonti Catalog [Italian] A chronological catalog of Ludwig van Beethoven's compositions, compiled by Giovanni Biamonti.
  • elegante [Italian] Elegant, graceful.
  • foot joint The last section of a flute, played farthest towards the right.
  • intonation A term referring to the proper production of a tone so that it is exactly in tune.
  • pietoso [Italian] Pitiful, merciful, compassionate.
  • theme and variations A style of composition that first presents a basic theme and then develops and alters that theme in successive statements.
  • intermedio [Italian] In the Renaissance, a musical entertainment between the acts of a play.
  • animato [Italian] Animated or spirited.
  • Opp. [Latin] Plural of Op.
  • libretto [Italian] A “little book” that contains the complete text of an opera, oratorio, and so forth.
  • fortissimo-piano [Italian] A dynamic marking (ffp) indicating that the marked note should be attacked very loudly, instantly diminishing to a much softer volume.