Articulation markings tell the performer what happens between the notes: whether they connect, detach, carry weight, or release cleanly. They are not decoration. In a score, articulation changes the grammar of the line as much as its surface.
Core articulations
- legato Legato directs smoothly connected notes without audible gaps; leg. is an attested abbreviation.
- staccato Staccato directs the performer to shorten and separate notes from what follows; stacc. is the standard text abbreviation.
- marcato marked, stressed or strongly accented; the attested text abbreviation is marc.
- tenuto Tenuto means 'held': sustain the marked note fully and often give it contextual weight; ten. is the standard text abbreviation.
- staccatissimo Staccatissimo asks for an extremely detached, sharply shortened articulation; staccatiss. is the attested text abbreviation.
More articulation terms
- accentato accented, marked or emphasised; write accentato in full
- bien marqué clearly or well marked; write bien marqué in full
- bisbigliando Bisbigliando is a whispering tremolo or colour trill, especially for harp; bisb. and bisbigl. are attested forms.
- Bisbigliando Bisbigliando is a whispering harp tremolo or colour trill, with the attested forms bisb. and bisbigl.
- breit gezogen broadly drawn out or broadly bowed; write breit gezogen in full
- détaché separate-bow string playing, normally with one bow stroke per note; write détaché in full
- forte-piano loud, then immediately soft; the standard compound dynamic form is fp
- gebunden bound and connected—the German equivalent of legato; write gebunden in full
- gebunden a bound, connected legato articulation; write gebunden in full
- gestoßen detached or staccato-style playing; write gestoßen in full
- gestoßen a detached German articulation corresponding to staccato; write gestoßen in full
- gezogen drawn out, carried or sustained; write gezogen in full
- hart hard, firm or strong in character; write hart in full
- kurz short or brief in sounding duration; write kurz in full
- lang long or sustained; write lang in full
- legatissimo very or maximally connected legato; the attested text abbreviation is legatiss.
- léger light or slight in character, touch or motion; write léger in full
- leicht light or lightly in character, motion or touch; write leicht in full
- lié connected or legato in manner; write lié in full
- markiert marked, emphasised or accented in context; write markiert in full
- marqué marked, accented or clearly emphasised in context; write marqué in full
- martellato hammered or strongly accented; mart. is attested in instrument-specific contexts
- non legato not legato, with audible separation but context-dependent length; the attested form is non leg.
- portamento a controlled expressive glide between pitches; port. is attested where slide context is clear
- portatissimo a strongly intensified portato or carried articulation, interpreted contextually; write portatissimo in full
- portato Portato means 'carried': a gently separated but still connected articulation between legato and staccato; port. is safe only when the articulation context rules out portamento.
- rinforzando Rinforzando means 'reinforcing': a sudden local increase of force on a note, chord or short span; standard forms are rf, rfz and rinf.
- rullo Rullo is the Italian word for a percussion roll: rapid repeated strokes that create a sustained or continuously active effect; write the word in full.
- scharf sharp, biting or cutting in character; write scharf in full
- sec dry, direct and restrained in resonance; write sec in full
- sempre legato Sempre legato means always legato throughout the marked span; sempre leg. is an attested compact form.
- sempre staccato Sempre staccato means always staccato throughout the marked span; sempre stacc. is the attested compact form.
- sforzando Sforzando is a sudden forceful accent on a marked note, chord or local group; sf and sfz are standard forms shared historically with sforzato.
- sforzato Sforzato means forced or strongly accented on the marked event; sf and sfz are standard forms also shared with sforzando.
- tremolo rapid measured or unmeasured reiteration of one note, alternation between pitches, or an instrument-appropriate roll; the attested text abbreviation is trem.
- Tremolo rapid reiteration of one note or alternation between notes; the attested text abbreviation is trem.
- trocken dry, plain or restrained in character; write trocken in full
- trocken dry, with reduced resonance and a contained release; write trocken in full
- weich soft, tender or gently rounded in manner; write weich in full