diff --git a/beets/dbcore/__init__.py b/beets/dbcore/__init__.py
index 923c34cac..7cca828bd 100644
--- a/beets/dbcore/__init__.py
+++ b/beets/dbcore/__init__.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Library.
 """
 
 from .db import Model, Database
-from .query import Query, FieldQuery, MatchQuery, AndQuery, OrQuery
+from .query import Query, FieldQuery, MatchQuery, NamedQuery, AndQuery, OrQuery
 from .types import Type
 from .queryparse import query_from_strings
 from .queryparse import sort_from_strings
diff --git a/beets/dbcore/query.py b/beets/dbcore/query.py
index 5a9ea7059..abecd658d 100644
--- a/beets/dbcore/query.py
+++ b/beets/dbcore/query.py
@@ -16,10 +16,23 @@
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
+
+from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 import re
 from operator import mul
-from typing import Union, Tuple, List, Optional, Pattern, Any, Type, Iterator,\
-    Collection, MutableMapping, Sequence
+from typing import (
+    Any,
+    Collection,
+    Iterator,
+    List,
+    MutableMapping,
+    Optional,
+    Pattern,
+    Sequence,
+    Tuple,
+    Type,
+    Union,
+)
 
 from beets import util
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
@@ -67,24 +80,28 @@ class InvalidQueryArgumentValueError(ParsingError):
         super().__init__(message)
 
 
-class Query:
+class Query(ABC):
     """An abstract class representing a query into the item database.
     """
 
-    def clause(self) -> Tuple[None, Tuple]:
+    def clause(self) -> Tuple[Optional[str], Sequence[Any]]:
         """Generate an SQLite expression implementing the query.
 
         Return (clause, subvals) where clause is a valid sqlite
         WHERE clause implementing the query and subvals is a list of
         items to be substituted for ?s in the clause.
+
+        The default implementation returns None, falling back to a slow query
+        using `match()`.
         """
         return None, ()
 
+    @abstractmethod
     def match(self, item: Item):
         """Check whether this query matches a given Item. Can be used to
         perform queries on arbitrary sets of Items.
         """
-        raise NotImplementedError
+        ...
 
     def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return f"{self.__class__.__name__}()"
@@ -93,7 +110,21 @@ class Query:
         return type(self) == type(other)
 
     def __hash__(self) -> int:
-        return 0
+        """Minimalistic default implementation of a hash.
+
+        Given the implementation if __eq__ above, this is
+        certainly correct.
+        """
+        return hash(type(self))
+
+
+class NamedQuery(Query):
+    """Non-field query, i.e. the query prefix is not a field but identifies the
+    query class.
+    """
+    @abstractmethod
+    def __init__(self, pattern):
+        ...
 
 
 class FieldQuery(Query):
@@ -104,12 +135,12 @@ class FieldQuery(Query):
     same matching functionality in SQLite.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, field: str, pattern: Optional[str], fast: bool = True):
+    def __init__(self, field: str, pattern: str, fast: bool = True):
         self.field = field
         self.pattern = pattern
         self.fast = fast
 
-    def col_clause(self) -> Union[None, Tuple]:
+    def col_clause(self) -> Union[Optional[str], Sequence[Any]]:
         return None, ()
 
     def clause(self):
@@ -156,7 +187,7 @@ class NoneQuery(FieldQuery):
     """A query that checks whether a field is null."""
 
     def __init__(self, field, fast: bool = True):
-        super().__init__(field, None, fast)
+        super().__init__(field, "", fast)
 
     def col_clause(self) -> Tuple[str, Tuple]:
         return self.field + " IS NULL", ()
diff --git a/beets/dbcore/queryparse.py b/beets/dbcore/queryparse.py
index 00d393cf8..2fa7bcfbb 100644
--- a/beets/dbcore/queryparse.py
+++ b/beets/dbcore/queryparse.py
@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ def construct_query_part(
     if not query_part:
         return query.TrueQuery()
 
+    out_query: query.Query
+
     # Use `model_cls` to build up a map from field (or query) names to
     # `Query` classes.
     query_classes = {}
@@ -149,9 +151,11 @@ def construct_query_part(
             # any field.
             out_query = query.AnyFieldQuery(pattern, model_cls._search_fields,
                                             query_class)
-        else:
+        elif issubclass(query_class, query.NamedQuery):
             # Non-field query type.
             out_query = query_class(pattern)
+        else:
+            assert False, "Unexpected query type"
 
     # Field queries get constructed according to the name of the field
     # they are querying.
@@ -160,8 +164,10 @@ def construct_query_part(
         out_query = query_class(key.lower(), pattern, key in model_cls._fields)
 
     # Non-field (named) query.
-    else:
+    elif issubclass(query_class, query.NamedQuery):
         out_query = query_class(pattern)
+    else:
+        assert False, "Unexpected query type"
 
     # Apply negation.
     if negate:
@@ -172,7 +178,7 @@ def construct_query_part(
 
 # TYPING ERROR
 def query_from_strings(
-        query_cls: Type[query.Query],
+        query_cls: Type[query.CollectionQuery],
         model_cls: Type[Model],
         prefixes: Dict,
         query_parts: Collection[str],
@@ -227,15 +233,15 @@ def sort_from_strings(
     """Create a `Sort` from a list of sort criteria (strings).
     """
     if not sort_parts:
-        sort = query.NullSort()
+        return query.NullSort()
     elif len(sort_parts) == 1:
-        sort = construct_sort_part(model_cls, sort_parts[0], case_insensitive)
+        return construct_sort_part(model_cls, sort_parts[0], case_insensitive)
     else:
         sort = query.MultipleSort()
         for part in sort_parts:
             sort.add_sort(construct_sort_part(model_cls, part,
                                               case_insensitive))
-    return sort
+        return sort
 
 
 def parse_sorted_query(
diff --git a/beetsplug/playlist.py b/beetsplug/playlist.py
index 265b8bad2..9686a046c 100644
--- a/beetsplug/playlist.py
+++ b/beetsplug/playlist.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import beets
 from beets.util import path_as_posix
 
 
-class PlaylistQuery(beets.dbcore.Query):
+class PlaylistQuery(beets.dbcore.NamedQuery):
     """Matches files listed by a playlist file.
     """
     def __init__(self, pattern):
diff --git a/test/test_dbcore.py b/test/test_dbcore.py
index c25157b85..980ebd137 100644
--- a/test/test_dbcore.py
+++ b/test/test_dbcore.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class SortFixture(dbcore.query.FieldSort):
     pass
 
 
-class QueryFixture(dbcore.query.Query):
+class QueryFixture(dbcore.query.NamedQuery):
     def __init__(self, pattern):
         self.pattern = pattern