Tenuto

What it means

Tenuto means “held” and calls for the note to be played out over its full notated value. It is notated as a short horizontal line above or below the notehead. What is meant is the opposite of shortening: the note is to receive its whole duration and to connect seamlessly to the next.

Beyond this, the marking is often also understood as a slight emphasis. A note that is held fully while its surroundings are shorter stands out — not through loudness but through weight. Some editions mean by the line an actual gentle accent, others only the full duration; which reading applies follows from the context.

Tenuto differs from an accent in that the emphasis lies not in the attack but in the duration. It differs fundamentally from a tie: this connects two notes into a single sound.

In the notation

The line stands on the side of the notehead away from the stem. It can coincide with other signs: with a dot to form a middle articulation, with an accent to form a stressed, full note. Lines under a slur mean portato. Written out, the word stands in italics above the staff and then applies to a section.

Musical use

Tenuto marks notes that are to carry weight: target notes of phrases, dissonances and suspensions, single notes in an otherwise briefly articulated surrounding. In melodies it ensures that an important note does not get lost in the flow. In accompanying voices it marks notes that, despite a light beat, are to be sustained.

Tenuto is abbreviated as ten. It calls for the note to be held out fully.

Performance practice

Really hold the note until the end of its value and connect it without a gap to the next. Produce the weight through duration and fullness of sound, not through a hard attack. Take care that the phrase remains in motion nonetheless; too many held notes make it heavy-footed. And check whether the line stands alone or is combined with a dot.