Martelé

What it means

Martelé is a bow stroke with a sharp beginning and a distinct separation. The bow lies before the note with weight on the string, is then set quickly in motion, and stopped again after a short stretch. This produces a crisp attack, followed by a quickly decaying note and a pause until the next stroke. The bow does not leave the string in doing so — this distinguishes martelé from the bouncing spiccato.

In the notation

Martelé is usually written with a vertical stroke or a wedge above the note, often additionally with an accent. Often the word itself stands in the part, because the signs for accent, staccato, and martelé overlap and the intent would otherwise remain unclear.

Musical use

The stroke gives every note weight and contour and suits energetic, resolute characters: striking themes, dotted rhythms, fanfare-like passages for the strings. At a moderate tempo it is ideal; at very fast note sequences it becomes unplayable, because the preparation of every note needs time. Then spiccato or a short détaché takes its place. As a practice stroke, martelé has additional value, because it trains control over attack and bow stop.

Performance practice

Think in three steps: grip, draw, stop. Set the bow down with weight, release the note with a fast initial movement, and then stop the bow on the string without lifting it. The pause between the notes is part of the stroke, not a fault. Practise first in the upper half of the bow with short strokes; at the frog the attack easily becomes coarse. Take care that the weight eases off at the moment of setting off, otherwise you choke the note. A common fault is too much bow travel — short and decisive sounds cleaner than long and hesitant.

Bear in mind that the stroke becomes unplayable at fast note sequences, because every note needs preparation: check before practising, therefore, whether the passage at tempo can still be meant as martelé, or whether a short détaché or spiccato fits better. Within a section, agree on the point of contact and the length of stroke, so that the group sounds uniform.