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

Hint: Don't worry about accents over letters, just skip them.

J

  • jarabe [Spanish] Traditional Mexican dance form with multiple sections in contrasting meters and tempos.
  • jäsentäminen [Finnish] See phrasing.
  • jazz A musical style created mainly by African-Americans in the early twentieth century that blended elements drawn from African musics with the popular and art traditions of the West.
  • jig A vigorous dance originating in the British Isles in the 15th century or earlier, usually in compound meter.
  • jive A form of blues popular in the 1940s.
  • jodel See yodel.
  • johtosävel [Finnish] See leading note.
  • jota [Spanish] A type of Spanish dance song characterized by a quick triple meter and guitar and castanet accompaniment.
  • jubiloso [Italian] See giubiloso.
  • just intonation Tuning system in which the notes are obtained by adding and subtracting natural fifths and thirds.