Staccato

staccato

noun shta-KAH-to Rare

Origin: from Italian staccare, to detach

Also means

short, detached playing or singing

Usage Note

Staccato is marked with a dot above or below the note and means each note should be shortened and separated. It contrasts with Legato and Portato.

Examples

"Die Pizzicato-Passagen wurden im Staccato sehr präzise gespielt."

Natural Translation

The pizzicato passages were played very precisely in staccato.

Literal Translation

The pizzicato-passages were in-the staccato very precisely played.

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