In
musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system used to visually represent aurally perceived music played with instruments or sung by the human voice through the use of written, printed, or otherwise-produced symbols, including notation fo ...
, ''tenuto'' (
Italian, past participle of ''tenere'', "to hold"), denoted as a horizontal bar adjacent to a note, is a direction for the performer to hold or sustain a note for its full length.
Its precise interpretation can be somewhat contextual in practice, especially when combined with dynamic directions affecting loudness. In that case, it can mean either ''accent the note in question by holding it to its full length (or longer, with slight
rubato Tempo rubato (, , ; 'free in the presentation', literally ) is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor. Ru ...
)'', or ''play the note slightly louder''. In other words, the ''tenuto'' mark may alter the length of a note at the same time a dynamic mark adjusts its volume. Either way, the tenuto marking indicates that a note should receive some degree of emphasis.
Tenuto is one of the earliest directions to appear in music notation.
Notker of St. Gall (c. 840–912) discusses the use of the letter ''t'' in
plainsong
Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. ...
notation as meaning ''trahere vel tenere debere'' in one of his letters.
The mark's meaning may also be affected when it appears in conjunction with other durational articulations. When it appears with a
staccato
Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...
dot, it means
non legato or detached.
Notation
''Tenuto'' is notated three ways:
#The word ''tenuto'' written above the passage to be played ''tenuto''.
#The abbreviation ''ten.'' written above the note or passage to be played ''tenuto''.
#A horizontal line, roughly the length of a notehead, placed immediately above or below the note to be played ''tenuto''.
::
See also
*
Modern musical symbols
References
*David Fallows, "Tenuto." ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy. (Accessed 15 May 2006
Articulations (music)
Italian words and phrases
Rhythm and meter
{{Musical notation, state=uncollapsed