Marcato

What it means

Marcato means “marked, brought out” and calls for every note to be played with emphasis. Unlike an ordinary accent, which affects a single note, marcato as a word designates a manner of playing for a whole section: all the notes receive weight.

As a sign, marcato also appears in the shape of an upright wedge above or below the note. This sign calls for a stronger and heavier accent than the horizontal accent wedge; the note is not only attacked more definitely but also carried with more weight.

Compared with tenuto, which calls for full sustaining, the emphasis here lies in the attack; compared with martellato, which means a hard, hammered attack, marcato is less sharp and includes the full duration of the note.

In the notation

The word stands in italics above the staff and applies until a new marking. The sign stands as an upright wedge on the side of the notehead away from the stem. Both can coincide with other articulation signs; a wedge over a staccato dot calls for a short, strongly accented note.

Musical use

Marcato stands in sections that are to seem powerful and definite: in marches, in unison passages, in themes with a clear profile. In orchestral music it serves to bring a voice out of the overall sound, for instance when a theme lies in a middle voice. In dance music it marks the carrying beats.

Marcato is notated with an accent wedge above the note, open upward, or by the written-out word. It is stronger than a simple accent but not as short as staccato; every note keeps its full length.

Performance practice

Give every note a definite beginning, but still sustain it fully — marcato means accented, not short. Avoid hardness: the emphasis arises from a clear attack, not from pressure. Take care that the phrase still has a direction despite the continuous emphasis; otherwise the section sounds uniform. And check whether a wedge or a horizontal accent stands there before choosing the weight.