sostenuto

[ sos-tuh-noo-toh, soh-stuh-; Italian saws-te-noo-taw ]

/ ˌsɒs təˈnu toʊ, ˌsoʊ stə-; Italian ˌsɔs tɛˈnu tɔ /

Music.

adjective

sustained or prolonged in the time value of the tones.

noun, plural sos·te·nu·tos, Italian sos·te·nu·ti [saws-te-noo-tee] /ˌsɔs tɛˈnu ti/.

a movement or passage played in this manner.

Nearby words

sos, sosa, sosatie, soseki, sosnowiec, sostenuto, sostenuto pedal, sot, soter, soteriology, sothern

Origin of sostenuto

1715–25; < Italian, past participle of sostenere; see sustain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sostenuto

It is fuller and rounder in quality than the soprano—less flexible, and more adapted to a sostenuto or declamatory style.
Advice to Singers|Frederick James Crowest
A good effect is produced in a sostenuto theme by commencing the vibrato slowly on a crescendo note.
Chats to 'Cello Students|Arthur Broadley
Is not the Sostenuto bellow of the arriero almost the only approach to melody that the peasant ever attempts?
Excursions in the mountains of Ronda and Granada, with characteristic sketches of the inhabitants of southern Spain, v. 2/2|Charles Rochfort Scott
"But my tremolo—my sostenuto will be ruined," said Hippolyte wildly.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, February 18th, 1920|Various

The basis of phrasing then, may be found in legato, sostenuto and contrast.
The Head Voice and Other Problems|D. A. Clippinger

British Dictionary definitions for sostenuto

sostenuto

/ (ˌsɒstəˈnuːtəʊ) /

adjective, adverb

music (preceded by a tempo marking) to be performed in a smooth sustained manner

Word Origin for sostenuto

C18: from Italian, from sostenere to sustain, from Latin sustinēre to uphold

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