Legato

legato

noun le-GAH-to Rare

Origin: from Italian legare, to bind

Also means

smooth, connected playing or singing

Usage Note

Legato is one of the fundamental articulation styles, the opposite of Staccato. String players achieve it with a long bow stroke; singers use a sustained, unbroken tone between notes.

Examples

"Spiel die Melodie im Legato – keine Unterbrechungen zwischen den Tönen!"

Natural Translation

Play the melody legato – no interruptions between the notes!

Literal Translation

Play the melody in-the legato – no interruptions between the tones!

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