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Glite Dictionary
🎹 Notes slightly separated 🎹 A detached style
nonlegato

nonlegato

9.0
A direction to play notes with small gaps so they are not smoothly connected
  • noun
  • /ˌnɒn.lɪˈɡɑː.toʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : no legato
  • Compare legato and nonlegato styles and perform each style as appropriate for each piece.

Examples

  • The unexpressive sections were played without variation in dynamics (everything was played mezzo forte), consistently used a nonlegato articulation (no pedal), and were played metronomically.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The conductor emphasized the importance of using nonlegato phrasing to achieve a light, airy sound in the performance.

  • During rehearsal, the piano part was marked for nonlegato to ensure that the notes were played distinctly.

  • To interpret the passage correctly, the violinist played the notes according to the nonlegato style, giving each note its own clarity.

Antonyms

legato
  • Specialized
7.4

To play or sing smoothly so the notes join without breaks

How Connected

legato
  • Specialized
7.4
nonlegato
  • Specialized
9.0
staccato
  • Specialized
3 7.3

Surface Forms

nonlegato singular
nonlegatos plural

Morphology

nonlegato = legato (transparent) = non + legato

The prefix 'non-' clearly negates the musical term 'legato', indicating a style that is not smooth.

Etymology

Nonlegato as a musical direction comes from Italian non- ('not') and legato ('tied'), so it tells the player to make the notes slightly separated rather than smoothly connected.