Portato

Between connected and short

In portato several notes are carried in one stroke, but not quite connected. Each note receives a small break, without silence arising between the notes as in staccato. It is therefore clearly less separated than staccato and more clearly separated than legato.

Signs and names

The usual sign is staccato dots under a slur: the slur shows that the notes belong together, the dots that each single one is gently set off. Instead you also find tenuto dashes under the slur. Other names are “mezzo staccato” (half detached) and, above all with strings, “louré”. The names are not used the same way everywhere: some authors separate portato and mezzo staccato as two levels, others treat them as the same.

When a slur with dots is not portato

The notation is ambiguous. Dots under a slur can also mean, with strings, that several short notes are played in a single bow stroke, that is a staccato in one stroke. Which meaning applies depends on the instrument, the style and the edition. When in doubt the musical context helps: a calm, singing piece speaks rather for carried portato.

Common mistakes

• Playing portato like staccato: The notes become too short and too strongly separated.
• Playing portato like legato: The notes are not set off at all.
• Reading every slur with dots as portato: With strings it can mean a detached stroke.