What is staccato?
Staccato is a music articulation that indicates that a musical note should be played separately from the adjacent notes. The word of Italian descent, staccato literally means “loosened”. Similar terms for this musical effect are the French détaché and piqué and the German course, abgeschmackt and abgestossen.
Staccato
Music played staccato contrasts the vocal style of legato articulation. An exaggerated version of the staccato is staccatissimo, also of Italian origin. If written one after another, the staccato creates a short, percussive effect, similar to heeled shoes knocking on the pavement or hitting against a window against the rain. Because the staccato creates an articulation that is clear and short, it can be applied to inclined or inappropriate music.
