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

  • volta subito [Italian] A directive to turn the page quickly.
  • liturgy In those churches that use standard written forms of services, the ritual or service of public worship.
  • Rinaldi numbers A numbering system identifying compositions by Antonio Vivaldi.
  • haut [French] Literally, “high”. Medieval category of loud instruments, used principally for outdoor occasions.
  • sehr [German] “Very”, “much”.
  • scherzando [Italian] Literally, “joking”. A directive to perform in a lively, playful, animated manner.
  • hopak A folk Ukrainian dance, introduced to the orchestra by such composers as Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky.
  • seconda volta [Italian] “Second time”; may refer to the second ending of a repetition.
  • sarabande [French] Stately Spanish baroque dance type in triple meter, a standard movement of the Baroque suite.
  • dal segno [Italian] A directive to go back to a specific place of a composition, marked by a sign.
  • natural key A key whose signature contains no sharps or flats; basically, C major and A minor.
  • binary measure A measure containing two beats.
  • martellato [Italian] Literally, “hammered”. Strongly marked.
  • suite [French] A work made up of a series of contrasting dance movements, generally all in the same key.
  • fantasia [Italian] Free instrumental piece of fairly large dimensions, in an improvisational style.