legato

[luh-gah-toh, le-gah-taw]

adjective

Music.

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

legato

/ lɪˈɡɑːtəʊ /

adjective

1. to be performed smoothly and connectedly

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of legato¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of legato¹

C19: from Italian, literally: bound

Example Sentences

He applied a luscious, pedal-assisted legato to the notes of a melody in the 11th, and slightly detached them in the Ninth.

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He didn’t just spin legato lines in the searching, conversational Nocturne; he expounded entire legato paragraphs in an eloquent, unbroken stream of consciousness.

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

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Alternating between legato and staccato, her tone practically bounced off the harpsichord, and she tumbled gracefully through intricate passagework.

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For “Eleanor Rigby,” the Beatles recorded versions of Martin’s backup arrangement with a string octet using lush classical vibrato and legato phrasing, but they wisely chose a brusque, woody attack instead.

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