(music) Anarticulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed tolegato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
The tumultuous noise resolved itself now into the disorderly mingling of many voices, the gride of many wheels, the creaking of waggons, and thestaccato of hoofs.
The same nervousstaccato laugh broke from her thin lips, and her fingers began to play with a long tortoise-shell paper-knife.
1953 December, Henry Maxwell, “The Folkestone Harbour Branch: Some Evocations”, inRailway Magazine, page809:
A kind of tense peace, like the centre of a cyclone, descended. Not for long, of course, for already stealing upon one's hearing would be thestaccato bark and thrust of the banker bringing up the rear.
1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, inTrains Illustrated, page613:
The water-level route, the whistle and the loudstaccato exhaust of this great engine recalled most vividly memories of the New York Central Hudsons highballing along the Hudson River between Harmon and Albany!
(music)staccato(articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note)
