Meaning & use
Martellato
Last updated
A musical direction indicating that notes should be played in a strongly accented, hammering manner, especially on a stringed or keyboard instrument.
See it in a sentence
The pianist struck the final chords martellato to emphasize the dramatic climax.
Violinists use a martellato bow stroke to produce sharp, percussive accents.
A note on using this word
From Italian, literally 'hammered', martellato contrasts with smoother, more connected playing styles such as legato.
Words with a similar meaning
hammered
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
legato
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