legato

American  

[luh-gah-toh, le-gah-taw] / ləˈgɑ toʊ, lɛˈgɑ tɔ /

adjective

Music.

1. smooth and connected; without breaks between the successive tones.

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legato British  

/ lɪˈɡɑːtəʊ /

adjective

1. to be performed smoothly and connectedly

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noun

1. 1. a style of playing in which no perceptible gaps are left between notes

   2. ( as modifier )

      a legato passage

Other Word Forms

• nonlegato adjective

Etymology

Origin of legato

1805–15; < Italian, past participle of legare < Latin ligāre to bind

Explanation

If you see the word legato in your sheet music, it's telling you to play or sing in a smooth, flowing way, with all the notes connected. The word legato is Italian, and it literally means "tied together." If you're playing or singing a melody legato, it's as if each note is tied to the one before it and after it, forming a continuous flow of sound. The opposite of legato is staccato, where each note is played briefly and separately, producing a choppy sound.

Example Sentences

You have to have perfect legato, and perfect breath control, to get through a lot of long phrases.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2023

The tenor Ismael Jordi, making his Met debut as Alfredo this season, was on Sunday a gawky more than dashing presence, who spread mellow legato lines like schmears of cream cheese.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2023

Out of that delicately manic lyric, the melody slows, legato: “Yeah, I’m constantly / tryna fight somethin’ that my eyes can’t see ...”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2023

But by the ardent legato flow of his 13th Variation — a steadily unwinding lyricism made possible by the precision of his technique — the accumulating power of the interpretation was clear.

From New York Times • Oct. 28, 2022

Other notes may be marked with a combination of articulation symbols, for example legato with accents.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones