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The source used for some of these names is Terminorum musicae index septem linguis redactus (Polyglot dictionary of musical terms). Budapest: Akadémaia Kiadó ; Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1978. ISBN 9630512769, 3761805535 and Instrument names in other languages from Dolmetsch online
Thanks to Marco Adorna for assistance with the Italian terminology and Jean-Baptiste Mazon for help with the French terminology
Wind instruments: Woodwind instruments | Brass instruments | Stringed instruments | Plucked instruments | Keyboard instruments | Percussion instruments | Electronic instruments | Other instruments | Instrumental ensembles | Voices | Vocal ensembles
Wind instruments | |||||
Woodwind instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
wind instruments | instruments à vent | Blasinstrumenten | strumenti a fiato | dukhovye instrumenty | instrumentos de viento |
woodwind instruments | les bois; instruments à vent en bois | Holzblasinstrumente | legno | dereviannye dukhovye instrumenty | instrumentos de madera |
reeds | anches | trosti | |||
double reeds | anches doubles | double reeds | |||
flute see also When is a flute not a flute |
flûte; grande flûte; flûte traversière |
Flöte; Querflöte | flauto | fleita | flauta |
oboe | hautbois | Oboe | oboe | goboi | oboe |
clarinet | clarinette | Klarinette | clarinetto | klarnet | clarinete |
bass clarinet | clarinette basse | Bassklarinette | clarinetto basso | bass-klarnet | clarinete bajo |
bassoon | basson | Fagott | fagotto | fagot | fagot(e) |
English horn | cor anglais | Englischhorn | corno inglese | angliiskii rozhok | corno/cuerno inglés |
recorder see also When is a flute not a flute |
flûte à bec; flûte douce/droite |
Blockflöte | flauto dolce/ dritto/a becco |
blokfleita | flauta recta/ dulce/de pico |
saxophone | saxophone | Saxophon | sassofono; saxofono | saksofon | saxofón; saxofóno |
piccolo | piccolo; flûte piccolo; petite flûte |
Pikkoloflöte; Piccolo; kleine Flöte |
ottavino; flauto piccolo |
pikkolo; malaia fleita; fleita pikkolo |
flautín; ottavino |
oboe d'amore | hautbois d'amore; hautbois d'amour |
Liebesoboe | oboe d'amore | goboi d'amur | oboe de amor |
Brass instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
brass instruments | instruments à vent de cuivre; cuivres | Blechblasinstrumente | ottone | mednye dukhovye instrumenty | instrumentos de metal/ cobre; instrumentos de viento-metal; metales |
horn | cor | Horn | corno | Gorn; rog; rozhok Also valtorna, which is natural or hunting horn, also used for "French" horn |
corno; corno francés; trompa (da pistones); cuerno |
natural horn | cor simple | Waldhorn | corno naturale | valtorna | trompa natural |
trumpet | trompette | Trompete | tromba; clarino | truba | trompeta |
cornet | cornet (à pistons) | Kornett | cornetta | kornet | corneta |
flugelhorn | Flügelhorn | flicorno | fliugel'gorn | fliscorno | |
trombone | trombone | Posaune | trombone | trombon | trombón |
bass trombone | basse-trombone; trombone basse |
Bass Posaune | trombono basso | bas trombon | trombón bajo |
tuba | tuba | Tuba | tuba | tuba | tuba |
baritone | baryton; bariton | Bariton | baritono | bariton | barítono |
euphonium | euphonium | Euphonium | eufonio | evfonium | euphonium |
Stringed instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
string instruments | instruments à cordes; instruments à cordes frottées |
Saiteninstrumente | strumenti a corda; strumenti archi |
strunnye instrumenty | instrumentos de cuerdas |
strings | cordes | Streicher | archi | struny | cuerdas |
violin | violon | Violine; Geige | violino | skripka | violín |
viola | alto | Viola; Viole; Bratsche | viola | viola | viola |
violoncello | violoncelle | Violoncello; Cello | violoncello | violonchel' | violoncelo; cello; violonchelo |
double bass; string bass | contrebasse | Kontrabass | contrabasso | kontrabas | contrabajo |
viola da gamba | viole de gambe; viola da gamba |
Viola da gamba; Gambe |
viola da gamba | viola da gamba; gamba |
viola de gamba; viola da gamba |
viola d'amore | viole d'amour | Viola d'amore; Liebesgeige |
viola d'amore | viola d'amur | viola d'amore |
Plucked instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
plucked instruments | instruments à cordes pincées | Zupfinstrumente | strumenti a pizzico | shchipkovye instrumenty | instrumentos punteados |
cimbalom | cymbalum | Zymbal | |||
guitar | guitare | Gitarre | chitarra | gitara | guitarra |
harp | harpe | Harfe | arpa | arfa | arpa |
lute | luth | Laute | liuto | liutnia | laúd |
mandolin | mandoline | Mandoline | mandolino | mandolina | mandolina |
zither | cithare | Zither | cetra da tavolo | tsitra | cítara |
Keyboard instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
keyboard instrument | instrument à clavier | Tasteninstrumente | strumenti a tastiera | klavishnyi instrument | instrumentos de tecla |
accordion | accordéon | Akkordeon | fisarmonica | akkordeon | acordeón |
bayan | Bajan | bayan, fisarmonica bayan | baian | ||
celesta | célesta | Celesta | celesta | chelesta | celesta |
clavichord | clavicorde | Clavichord; Klavichord | clavicordo | klavikord | clavicordio |
continuo; thorough-bass |
basse continue | Generalbass; Basso continuo |
basso continuo | basso kontinuo; general-bas |
bajo continuo |
harpsichord | clavecin | Cembalo; Clavicembalo | clavicembalo | klavesin; chembalo | clavecémbalo; clavecín; clavicímbalo |
organ | orgue | Orgel | organo | organ | órgano |
piano | piano | Piano; Klavier | piano | fortep'iano | piano |
Percussion instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
percussion instruments | instruments à percussion | Schlaginstrumente; Perkussionsinstrumente |
strumenti a percussione | udarnye instrumenty | instrumentos de percusión |
bass drum | grosse caisse | Grosse Trommel | cassa; grancassa; gran cassa |
bol'shoi baraban | bombo |
castenets | castagnettes | Kastagnetten | castagnette | kastan'ety | castañuelas |
cowbells | cloches à vache | caubel | |||
cymbals | cymbales | Becken | piatti | tarelki | cimbalos |
drum | tambour | Trommel | tamburo | baraban | tambor |
glockenspiel | glockenspiel; jeu de timbres | Glockenspiel | glockenspiel; metallofono; campanelli |
kolokol'chiki | campanólogo; juego de timbres/órgano de campanas |
marimba | marimba | Marimbaphon | marimba | marimba | marimba |
rattle | crécelle | Ratsche, Knarre, Schnarre | raganella | treshchotka | carraca, matraca |
snare drum | caisse claire | Leinentrommel | tamburo rullante; tamburo militare; rullante |
frantsuzskii baraban | tambor afinable/con tensores |
tenor drum | caisse roulante | Rührtrommel; Wirbeltrommel; Tenortrommel |
cassa rullante; tamburino |
tsilindricheskii baraban | redoblante |
tambourine | tambourin | Tamburin | tamburello | buben | pandereta |
timpani | timbales | Pauken | timpano | litavra | timbal |
tubular bells | cloches tubulaires | Rohrenglocke | campane tubolari | trubchatye kolokola | campanas tubulares |
xylophone | xylophone | Xylophon | xilofono | ksilofon | xilofón; xilofóno |
Electronic instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
electronic instruments | electronnye instrumenty | ||||
computer | ordinateur | Computerklänge | kompiuter | ||
ondes martenot | ondes martenot | ||||
synthesizer | synthétiseur | sintetizzatore | sintezator | ||
tape | bande | Tonbande; Zuspielband | nastro | magnitofonnaia lenta | banda |
Other instruments | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
dulcimer (hammered) | Hackbrett | salterio | tsimbaly | dulcema | |
harmonica | harmonica | Mundharmonika | gubnaia garmoshika | ||
Instrumental ensembles | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
instrumental ensembles | ensembles instrumentaux | ||||
band | orchestre d'instruments à vent; orchestre à vent; harmonie de concert; harmonie; orchestre d'harmonie |
Blasorchester | orchestra di strumenti a fiato | dukhovoi orkestr | orquesta de vientos |
brass band | fanfare | ||||
chamber orchestra | orchestre de chambre | Kammerorchester | orchestra da camera | kamernyi orkestr | orquesta de cámara |
string orchestra | orchestre à cordes | Streichorchester | orchestra d'archi | strunnyi orkestr | orquesta de cuerdas |
orchestra | orchestre | Orchester | orchestra | orkestr | orquesta |
Voices | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
voice | voix | Stimme | voce | golos | voz |
soprano | soprano, dessus | Sopran | soprano | soprano | soprano |
male alto/low soprano |
bas-dessus | ||||
mezzo soprano | mezzo-soprano | Mezzosopran | mezzosoprano | metstsosoprano/ metso-soprano |
mezzo-soprano |
alto; contralto | alto; contralto | Alt | contralto | al't; kontral'to | contralto |
tenor | ténor, taille | Tenor | tenore | tenor | tenor |
baritone | baryton; bariton | Bariton | baritono | bariton | barítono |
bass baritone | basse taille | ||||
bass | basse | Bass | basso | bas | bajo |
counter tenor | contre-ténor; haute-contre |
Contratenor | controtenore | kontratenor | contratenor |
high voice | haut | hohe | acuto | vysokaia | agudo |
medium voice | médium; moyen | mittlere | medio | sredniaia | medio |
low voice | grave | tiefe | grave | nizkaia | grave |
Vocal ensembles | |||||
English | French | German | Italian | Russian | Spanish |
vocal ensembles | ensembles vocaux | ||||
chorus | chœur | Chor | coro | khor | coro |
mixed voices | voix mixtes | Stimmen gemischte | voci miste | smeshannye golosa | voces mixtas |
women's voices | chœur de femmes | Frauenchor; Frauenstimme |
coro femminile | zhenskii khor | coro femenino |
men's voices | chœur d'hommes | Männerchor; Männerstimme |
coro maschile | muzhskoi khor | coro masculino; choro de hombres |
children's voices | chœur d'enfants | Kinderchor | voci bianche | detskii khor | coro infantil; coro de niños |
equal voices | voix égales | Stimmen gleiche | voci pari | odnorodnye golosa | voces iguales |