Musical Glossary

Welcome to our interactive musical glossary! Click the links below to reveal the meanings of these performance terms.

Adagio

Slow or at ease, and at a tempo between Andante and Largo.

Chord

Any simultaneous combination of notes.

Diminuendo

Diminishing, i.e. gradually getting quieter.

Gavotta

An old French dance in common time beginning on the third beat of the bar. Popularised in the 1700s.

Legato

Smooth and joined together, indicating no gap between notes.

Metronome

A mechanism that sounds the exact number of beats per bar and is used to fix the speed of a piece of music.

Sforzando

Reinforced, heavily accented and played in a loud manner.

Sonata

An instrumental composition, perfect for piano and usually in three movements.

Staccato

'Detached' or shortened note, held down for less than its full length.

Vivace

Vivacious, fast and lively or very quick.