Accentato

Pronunciation: AK-sentAH-toe


What is Accentato?

Accentato is a musical indication that tells a musician to put emphasis on a specific note, chord, or passage. Accentato is Italian for accento, which means emphasis. It can be marked on musical composition with the horizontal wedge, or it could be as a result of its overall context.

Key Takeaways

  1. Accentato is a musical indication that tells the musical performer to play a note, chord, or passage with emphasis.
  2. Accentato can mean to play a note louder, higher in pitch, or longer in duration.
  3. Accentato can be included in the context of the composition or indicated over a note with a horizontal wedge.

Understanding Accentato

Accentato is used to contribute to the overall articulation or performance on a musical phrase. There are three types of Accentato, which are:

  • Dynamic Accentato – play the note/chord/passage louder
  • Tonic Accentato – play the note/chord/passage higher in pitch
  • Agogic Accentato – play the note/chord/passage longer in duration

Related Terms

Dynamics Dynamics is the term that conveys the variation in loudness between notes or phrases in musical composition. more

Decrescendo Decrescendo is a type of dynamic change in a musical composition. more

Fortissimo Fortissimo is a type of musical dynamic that means “very loud.” more

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