Music Cataloging at Yale [1] ♪ Language tools [2]
Russian diacritics and ligatures are not displayed.
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 [3] from Dolmetsch online [4]
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 [5] |
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 [5] |
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 |