Non legato

What it means

Non legato means “not bound” and designates a manner of playing in which the notes are lightly separated from one another without becoming short. Every note ends a little before the next, so that a small gap arises — audible but not as a rest.

The marking thus lies between legato and staccato. Compared with bound playing, the continuous line is absent; compared with detached playing, the distinct shortening is absent. Closely related are portato and mezzo staccato, which mean a similar middle articulation but have a more sustained character and are notated under a slur.

In some pedagogical literature, non legato counts as the neutral basic form of touch, from which bound and detached playing are developed as deviations.

In the notation

The marking stands as a word above the staff and applies to the section indicated. There is no sign of its own — the absence of slurs and dots alone does not mean that non legato is intended, for in many contexts the articulation is then left to the performer or results from the style.

Musical use

This manner of playing is used where clarity is called for without the music seeming short-winded: in polyphonic movements, in which the voice leading must remain audible, in runs that would otherwise blur, and in accompanying figures that are to keep contour. In piano literature it is also a frequent means of achieving clarity in the low register.

With Bach it is often the basic articulation. The notes are lightly separated but not played as short as in staccato.

Performance practice

Shorten the notes only enough that a gap arises without its being heard as a rest — roughly to three-quarters of their value. Keep the gaps even; uneven separation seems restless. On the piano, take care that the pedal does not cancel the separation. And keep the line in your ear: even separated notes should belong to one phrase.