Marcato (short form:Marc.; Italian formarked) is a musical instruction indicating anote,chord, or passage is to be played louder or more forcefully than the surrounding music. The instruction may involve the wordmarcato itself written above or below the staff or it may take the form of the symbol ∧,[1][2][3] an open vertical wedge. The marcato is essentially a louder and often shorter version of the regularaccent > (an open horizontal wedge).
Like the regular accent, however, the marcato is often interpreted to suggest a sharp attack tapering to the original dynamic,[4] an interpretation which applies only to instruments capable of altering the dynamic level of a single sustained pitch. According to author James Mark Jordan, "themarcato sound is characterized by a rhythmicthrust followed by a decay of the sound."[5]
Injazz big-band scores, the marcatosymbol usually indicates a note is to be shortened to approximately2⁄3 its normal duration, and given a moderate accent.[citation needed]
The instructionmarcato ormarcatissimo[6] (extreme marcato), among various other instructions, symbols, and expression marks may prompt a string player to usemartelé bowing, depending on the musical context.[7] An example is the Gavotte in D major[which?] fromJ. S. Bach (Suzuki Book Volume 3) page 19, Bar 39.
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