martellato

American

[mahr-tl-ah-toh, mahr-tel-lah-taw] / ˌmɑr tlˈɑ toʊ, ˌmɑr tɛlˈlɑ tɔ /

adjective

(of notes or chords in a musical score) heavily accented and detached.

martellato British

/ ˌmɑːtəˈlɑːtəʊ /

noun

(in string playing) the practice of bowing the string with a succession of short sharp blows

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of martellato

1875–80; < Italian: hammered, past participle of martellare. See martel, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

martellato

The martellato, a nuance of spiccato, should be played with a firm bowing at the point.

From Violin Mastery Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers by Frederick Herman Martens

Delsarte had a marked prejudice in favor of the martellato, which partakes of both.

From Delsarte System of Oratory by Various

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023