Cantabile

Playing in a singing style

“Cantabile” is derived from “cantare” (“to sing”). It means a melodic passage that is to be performed according to the qualities of singing; the performance direction has the same name, for example in “andante cantabile”. It is usually rendered “in a singing style”. In instrumental music the playing is meant to imitate the human voice.

Cantabile in the score

In the sheets from the archive the word occurs in three forms: alone, with a tempo word and next to “dolce”.

Guitar

• Gitarrenschule, Stück Nr. 12 Johann Kaspar Mertz · guitar · 1 page

  Above bar 1, in bold, is “Cantabile”, with no further tempo marking. 4/4 time, two sharps, p at the start, with chord symbols. Here the word appears alone and gives the character.

• Old Folks at Home Stephen Foster, arranged by W. L. Hayden · guitar · 3 pages

  Above the theme (the staff marked “Tema”) is “Andante cantabile” in italics, 4/4 time, three sharps.

Piano

• La Pastorale Friedrich Burgmüller, op. 100 No. 3 · piano · 1 page

  The piece is headed “Andantino”, 6/8 time, one sharp. Under the melody of the right hand are “p” and, in italics, “dolce cantabile”. Later in the piece “dolce” appears once more.

In Mertz it appears alone at the beginning, in Foster as an addition to “Andante” and in Burgmüller together with “dolce” and p. So cantabile can appear alone or join a tempo word or “dolce”.

Cantabile and legato

Legato means “connected” and refers to how the notes join one another. Cantabile names a wider context: the melody should sound as if sung, with breath, phrases and a direction. English-language music glossaries name a moderate tempo and flexible legato as means to this end. Connected playing is therefore often part of cantabile, but not the same thing.

Common mistakes

• Equating cantabile with slow: The word prescribes no particular tempo; in Mertz there is no tempo marking beside it.
• Playing every note equally loud: A singing voice shapes each phrase; an even attack sounds mechanical.
• Playing the accompaniment too loudly: The melody carries, the accompaniment supports it.