Meaning & use
staccatissimo
Last updated
Meanings
adverbnot comparablemusic
A musical instruction meaning to play notes extremely short and sharply separated, even shorter than staccato.
Grammar: Written above passages or notes: play this bar staccatissimo.
Patterns
- play something staccatissimo
The violins play the opening phrase staccatissimo.
The teacher asked us to play the last bar staccatissimo.
Marked staccatissimo, the notes sounded like quick raindrops.
adjectivebefore a nounmusic
Describing notes or passages played in this extremely short, detached way.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a staccatissimo passage.
Patterns
- a staccatissimo passage
The composer wrote a staccatissimo passage for the flute.
A staccatissimo wedge appears above each note.
The staccatissimo effect makes the piece sound playful.
Common combinations
- marked staccatissimo
- The notes were marked staccatissimo in the score.
- staccatissimo wedge
- The staccatissimo wedge is a small triangle above the note.
- play staccatissimo
- Please play the second line staccatissimo.
- staccatissimo passage
- The staccatissimo passage ends with a loud chord.
Synonyms and how they differ
- staccato
- Staccato means short and detached, while staccatissimo means even shorter and sharper.
- detached
- Detached is a general word for separated notes, and does not give the extreme brevity of staccatissimo.
- spiccato
- Spiccato refers to a bouncing bow technique on string instruments, not a general length marking.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: staccatissimo or staccato?
staccatissimo vs staccato
Staccato is the usual short marking shown by a dot, whereas staccatissimo is much more extreme and shown by a wedge.
Practice
Which instruction asks the player for the shortest, sharpest notes?
Choose one answer.
Staccatissimo means extremely short and detached. Legato and sostenuto mean smooth or sustained, and tenuto means held full length.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “staccatissimo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.