DE kurz articulation core term Support my free tools
short or brief in sounding duration; write kurz in full
How is kurz played?
Shorten the sounding duration or release enough to create the requested brevity while keeping the written rhythmic position unchanged. Kurz can describe articulation, note length or resonance; the instrument and style determine whether the result comes from bow release, tonguing, key release or another means. It can overlap with gestoßen or staccato, but it is not automatically one staccato symbol, one amount of silence or one percentage of the written value. Lang provides the plain-language contrast when the score asks for longer sustain.
How does kurz sound?
Notes sound clipped and brief, not held for their full value.
In context
German kurz means short or brief. In performance it can request shorter sounding duration or reduced resonance without changing the notated rhythm, and its exact degree remains contextual. Related staccato signs and stacc. wording are not abbreviations of kurz, so the German word is written in full.
Equivalent terms
- IT corto
- IT staccato
- FR court
- EN short
- DA kort