| H | German for the note 'B natural' |
| Habanera | A slow Cuban dance in duple time |
| Hackbrett | (German) dulcimer |
| Hahnebüchen | (German) coarse, heavy |
| Hlb, Halbe | (German) half |
| Halbenote | (German) half-note, minim |
| Halbe-pause | (German) half-note rest, minim rest |
| Halbsoprano | (German) mezzo-soprano |
| Halbtenor | (German) baritone |
| Half-note | minim |
| Hallen | (German) to clang |
| Halt | (German) pause, the fermata sign |
| Halten | (German) to hold, to sustain |
| Hanacca or Hanakisch (Ger.), Hanaise (Fr.) | a Moravian dance in simple triple time |
| Hand, Hände | (German) hand, hands |
| Hand Horn | a French horn in which the player places a hand into the bell to produce certain notes |
| Hand Organ | the Barrel organ |
| Handtrommel | (German) tambourine |
| Hardi, Hardiment | (French) bold, boldly |
| Harfe | (German) harp |
| Harmonica | a mouth organ with reeds (mouth organ), a set of glass bowls set horizontally to rotate in a water filled chamber where the sound is generated by touching lightly the edge of one of the bowls with a wettened finger (musical glasses), a dulcimer with strips of glass rather than strings (glass dulcimer) |
| Harmonie | (French) a band of woodwind, brass and percussion |
| Harmonie, Cor d' | (French) French horn without valves |
| Harmonie, Trompette d' | (French) the modern-day trumpet |
| Harmoniemusik | (German) a band of woodwind, brass and percussion |
| Harmonika | (German) harmonica |
| Harmonique | (French) harmonic |
| Harmonische Töne | (German) harmonics |
| Harp | an instrument of ancient lineage in which strings are plucked individually or in groups with the fingers and thumbs of one or two hands |
| Harpsical | a corruption of the word 'harpsichord' |
| Harpsichord | a large family of keyboard instruments, in which the strings are plucked by plectra, including also spinets and virginals |
| Hart, Harte | (German) hard, major |
| Hastig | (German) hasty, impetuous |
| Haupt | (German) head, 'principal' or 'chief' |
| Hauptstimme | (German) principal part or voice |
| Hauptthema | (German) principal theme |
| Haut, Haute | (French) high |
| Hautboy | (French) oboe |
| Haute dance | (French) a dance in which the feet are lifted from the ground (see also Basse Dance) |
| Havanaise | (French) habanera |
| Hay, Haye, Hey | a type of round dance, from the French word for 'hedge' |
| Heel | the end of the violin bow at which it is held |
| Heftig | (German) violent, impetuous |
| Heiss | (German) hot, ardent |
| Heiter | (German) cheerful, clear |
| Heldentenor | (German) a tenor with a robust voice suitable for opera roles |
| Hell | (German) clear, bright |
| Hemidemisemiquaver | a sixty-fourth note |
| Hemiola, Hemiolia | a rhythmic pattern where two notes are played in the time allotted to three or where three notes are played in the time allotted to two (the latter is also called a 'triplet') |
| Herabstrich | (German) down-bow on a violin or viola |
| Heraufstrich | (German) up-bow on a violin or viola |
| Herbstlied | (German) Autumn song |
| Hernach | (German) hereafter |
| Héroïque (Fr.), Heroisch (Ger.) | heroic |
| Herstrich | (German) down-stroke on the cello or double-bass |
| Herunterstimmen | (German) to tune a string down to a specified note |
| Herunterstrich | (German) down-bow on the violin or viola |
| Hervorgehoben, Hervorragend | (German) to emphasise a melody |
| Herzhaft | (German) hearty, tender, charming |
| Hes | (German) the note 'B flat' (more usually called 'B') |
| Hexachord | a group of six consecutive notes |
| Hexentanz | (German) witches' dance |
| Hier | (German) here |
| Hinsterbend | (German) dying away |
| Hinstrich | (German) the up-stroke on a cello or double-bass |
| Hirt | (German) herd, herdsman |
| Hirtenlied | (German) herdsman song |
| His | (German) the note 'B sharp' |
| Hisis | (German) the note 'B double sharp' |
| Hoboy | old word for 'oboe' |
| Höchst | (German) highest |
| Hochzeitmarsch | (German) wedding march |
| Hochzeitszug | (German) wedding procession |
| Hocket | a rhythmic device in two part music in which rests in one part alternately match notes in the other |
| Holz | (German) wood, woodwind |
| Holzbläser | (German) wood-wind players |
| Holzblasinstrumente | (German) the wood-wind |
| Holzharmonika | (German) xylophone |
| Holzschlägel | (German) wooden drum stick |
| Homophone | two strings tuned to produce the same note |
| Hoquet | hocket |
| Hörner | (German) horns |
| Hornpipe | a sailor's dance |
| Hrotta | crwth |
| Hübsch | (German) pretty, dainty |
| Huit | (French) eight |
| Hüpfend | (German) spiccato |
| Hurdy-gurdy | a stringed instrument in which the strings are set into vibration by the action of a hand-cranked rosined wheel, some strings being stopped with small wooden levers to produce tunes, other strings being left open to act as drones |
| Hurtig | (German) nimble, agile |
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