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47 German Music Terms
When it comes to different genres of music, you might be surprised to find that German music terms are rather similar to English words. This is because German uses many Anglicisms (or “Anglizismen” in German). These are words, usually more modern, that are borrowed from the English language. You’ll see some in the list below:
Classic – Klassik
Reggae – Reggae
Rock – Rock
Pop – Pop
Heavy Metal – Heavy Metal
Folk – Folk
Blues – Blues
Jazz – Jazz
If you take a closer look, quite a few English terms have worked their way into German vocabulary. Some German linguists have expressed concern that no new words are being invented in German; the English term is often adopted instead. For example, ‘follower’, ‘live stream’, and ‘socializing’ are all used instead of the german words ‘Anhänger’, ‘Direkt-Datenstrom’ and ‘Geselligkeit’.
Tying it back to the music world, we see a similar phenomenon with musical terms for different pitches (Tonglagen). They’re either identical, or just one letter off from being identical, between the two languages. They are as follows:
Bass – Bass
Tenor – Tenor
Alto – Alt
Soprano – Sopran
Before we move onto the next grouping of musical terms, let’s take a quick look at German (definite & indefinite) articles. For those of you who know Spanish, or other Romance languages, this will feel vaguely familiar.
der – the (masculine)
die – the (feminine)
das – the (neutral)
ein – a (masculine and neutral)
eine – a (feminine)
Now that you know your masculine, feminine, and neutral articles, it’s back to the studio!
das Lied – Song
die Oper – Opera
das Stück – Piece
die Rockoper – Rock Opera (Example: Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie)
die Strophe – Verse
der Refrain – Chorus
das Orchester – Orchestra
die Musikgruppe – Band
das Konzert – Concert
And now the list you’ve been waiting for; musical instruments! (“Musikinstrumente”)
Discover the German word for that thing you played in high school and never picked up again:
die Flöte – Flute
die Oboe – Oboe
die Klarinette – Clarinet
die Violine – Violin
die Gitarre – Guitar
die Bassgitarre – Bass Guitar
die Trompete – Trumpet
das Banjo – Banjo
das Französische Horn – French Horn
das Cello – Cello
das Saxophon – Saxophone
die Bratsche – Viola
die Harfe – Harp
das Klavier – Piano
das Keyboard – Keyboard
das Schlagzeug – Drum
das Fagott – Bassoon
das Horn – Bugle
die Tuba – Tuba
die Ukulele – Ukulele
die Posaune – Trombone
der Gesang – Vocals
die Elektrische Gitarre – Electric Guitar
das Akkordeon – Accordion
die Mandoline – Mandolin
der Gong – Gong