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

Her legato clears a path through the difficult-to-finesse English texts of “Peter Grimes” and “Susannah.”

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 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

Stringed instruments, with their capability for sweeping legato movement between pitches, are the instruments most akin to the human voice, and thus most relatable and sympathetic to our innermost vibrations.

From Washington Post • Oct. 5, 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