Gebunden

One arc, two meanings

On the page Notation symbols the slur appears as a curved arc over several notes: these are played slurred and flowing, without an audible break. It is the counterpart of staccato. Strings play the notes under a slur on one bow stroke, with winds only the first note is tongued, on the piano the notes flow into one another.

The page Rhythm explains the tie: it joins two notes of the same pitch into a single, longer duration, also across the barline. The same sign therefore means something different depending on the notes it joins.

The tie also plays a part in syncopation: the article Understanding and counting syncopation names it as one of the two ways in which a syncopation gets onto paper. A note on the “and” is tied across the next beat, so that there is no new attack on the beat.

Gebunden as a performance marking

Besides the arc, “gebunden” can also appear as a word above the notes. In the sheet music archive the song “Ein Ton” by Cornelius shows this marking in the piano, in German. The Italian equivalent “legato” (in Schubert “sempre legato”) means the same.

Voice and piano

• Ein Ton Peter Cornelius · voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 3 pages

  “Etwas bewegt.” (somewhat animated), 3/4, one sharp in the key signature. In the piano part, the marking “gebunden.” appears in italics above the first notes of the right hand, plus pp and p.

• Gretchen am Spinnrade Franz Schubert · voice and piano, with chords for guitar

  The right hand is “sempre legato” with pp, the left “sempre staccato”: slurred and short in the same bar (6/8, one flat).

Common mistakes

• Confusing slur and tie: Two equal notes under an arc are held, not struck again.
• Confusing slurred with soft: The dynamics are marked separately in the score (pp, p).
• Leaving gaps between the notes: Slurred means without an audible break.