portamento

[ pawr-tuh-men-toh, pohr-; Italian pawr-tah-men-taw ]

/ ˌpɔr təˈmɛn toʊ, ˌpoʊr-; Italian ˌpɔr tɑˈmɛn tɔ /

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noun, plural por·ta·men·ti

[pawr-tuh-men-tee, pohr-; Italian pawr-tah-men-tee], /ˌpɔr təˈmɛn ti, ˌpoʊr-; Italian ˌpɔr tɑˈmɛn ti/, por·ta·men·tos.Music.

a passing or gliding from one pitch or tone to another with a smooth progression.

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Origin of portamento

1765–75; <Italian: fingering, literally, a bearing, carrying. See port⁵, -ment

Words nearby portamento

portal frame, portal system, portal-to-portal, portal-to-portal pay, portal vein, portamento, portance, Port Angeles, Porta-Potti, port arms, Port Arthur

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How to use portamento in a sentence

In this early period of instruction the pupil was exercised in both portamento and messa di voce.
The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor
You, who know what is meant by singing with portamento, would find rare satisfaction in her singing of it.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Otto Jahn
Both her portamento di voce and her volubility were declared to be unrivaled.
Great Singers, First Series|George T. Ferris
At one point the boys took a portamento—a grace which very few choirmasters would attempt with boys.
The Boy's Voice|J. Spencer Curwen

Aria di portamento was also slow, but with stronger rhythm and wider intervals.
How Music Developed|W. J. Henderson

British Dictionary definitions for portamento

portamento

/ (ˌpɔːtəˈmɛntəʊ) /

noun plural -ti (-tɪ)

music a smooth slide from one note to another in which intervening notes are not separately discernibleCompare glissando

Word Origin for portamento

C18: from Italian: a carrying, from Latin portāre to carry

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