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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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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Some random terms

  • martellato [Italian] Literally, “hammered”. Strongly marked.
  • march A military piece characterized by strongly accented duple meter and clear sectional structures.
  • Minnesinger [German] A poet or musician of the Minnesang tradition in Germany, active during the 12th through the 15th centuries.
  • verismo [Italian] A term meaning “realism”, applied to Romantic works (especially operas) of the late 19th century that have to do with unpleasant realities of life.
  • marziale [Italian] Martial, with a military feeling.
  • inversion The position of a chord when the fundamental is not the lowest note. Also, the inversion of the order of the notes of an interval, obtained by raising or lowering either of the notes the necessary number of octaves.
  • motet Polyphonic vocal genre, secular in the Middle Ages but sacred or devotional thereafter.
  • aria [Italian] Lyric song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, generally expressing intense emotion; found in opera, cantata, and oratorio.
  • lamentevole [Italian] Plaintive, mournful.
  • bas [French] Low in pitch.
  • seconda volta [Italian] “Second time”; may refer to the second ending of a repetition.
  • rant A country dance of Scotland and Northern England in duple meter and binary form.
  • timbre [French] The quality of a sound; that component of a tone that causes different instruments (for example a flute and a violin) to sound different from each other while they are both playing the same note.
  • counterpoint The art of combining two or more melodies to be performed simultaneously. In counterpoint, the melody is supported by another melody rather than by chords.
  • tardamente [Italian] Slowly.