Articulations

Most urtext editions of J. S. Bach contain very few articulation markings. While there is no absolute rule regarding "correct" or "incorrect" articulation, it is essential to decide clearly which articulations you will use. Any uncertainty—mental or physical—will create tension and affect your playing.

Common articulations include:

• non-legato
• staccato
• two-note slur
• tenuto
• accent
• détaché (articulated legato or brioso)

Détaché, meaning "detached," refers to playing each note with a separate bow stroke. Despite the separation, the bowing remains smooth and continuous. When you listen to string players performing détaché, you will notice there is no audible gap between notes.

The change of bow for every note creates a crisp, articulated sound while maintaining a connected line—hence the term articulated legato.

• Use non-legato and two-note slurs in slower pieces (examples D).
• Use détaché as a general articulation in moderate to fast pieces (examples A, B, C, F).
• Use staccato in fast movements, especially in groups of 2–3 notes that differ rhythmically from the main passage (examples B, E, F, G).
• Use combinations of tenuto or accent with staccato on longer and shorter note values (examples A, B, E).
• Groups of notes in conjunct motion (stepwise melodies) are played more smoothly, often with détaché (examples E, F).
• Groups of notes in disjunct motion (larger intervals and more dramatic contour) are played with a more detached character—non-legato or staccato (examples A, B, C, E, F, G).

When approaching the piano works of W. A. Mozart or J. Haydn, it is essential to remember that Classical slur notation was directly influenced by violin bowing technique.

Even though we are reading Mozart’s keyboard scores, the underlying model comes from his primary musical influence and teacher—his father, Leopold Mozart. As both pianist and violinist, Wolfgang absorbed a great deal about notation from Leopold’s guidance.

The following quotations illustrate the Classical understanding of slurs:

Notes [...] must all be taken together in one bow-stroke; not detached, but bound together in one stroke without lifting the bow or making any accent with it.

by the length of the curved line, the composer indicates how many tones are to be slurred together [...] for tones which are to be slurred, the finger should be allowed to remain on the key until the duration of the given note is completely past, so that not a slightest separation (rest) results.

Notes under the slur are played connected, in a style corresponding to détaché on the violin—continuous, and without internal accents.

• In faster movements, notes without a slur are generally played non-legato.
• In slower movements, unslurred notes are played with a more sustained, gentle connection—closer to détaché.

This understanding forms the basis for interpreting Classical articulation with clarity, simplicity, and stylistic accuracy.

Eighteenth-century composers wrote for the fortepiano, an instrument whose sound decayed much more quickly than that of the later pianoforte. For this reason, Classical legato differs significantly from the rich, prolonged legato cantabile of the nineteenth century.

The expansive Romantic legato became possible only with the development of the modern piano, which could sustain sound far longer.

With this historical context in mind, the appropriate articulation for Classical phrasing is one that is less intensely legato yet still smooth and connected—détaché, or articulated legato.

The notes are played connected, but the resulting sound remains clear, light, and crisp.

In the next Volume III, we will explore phrasing length and contour in more detail. Introducing a phrasing line will help the melody unfold naturally, enabling a smooth and expressive Classical style.

In the Early Classical period, the practice of ending each slur at the bar line was a matter of notational convention. The notation system of the time did not allow slurs to extend freely across measures.

Only later did Muzio Clementi begin to challenge this tradition. Leopold Mozart explains the reasoning with characteristic clarity:

[...] it goes against nature if you are constantly interrupting and changing. A singer who during every short phrase stopped, took a breath, and specially stressed first this note, then that note, would unfailingly move everyone to laughter. The human voice glides quite easily from one note to another and a sensible singer will never break unless some special kind of expression, or the division or rest of the phrase, demand one. And who is not aware that singing is at all times the aim of every instrumentalist because one must always approximate to Nature as nearly as possible.

The end of a short slur in Classical notation does not indicate a break in sound. Rather, it reflects a change of bow direction on a stringed instrument.

Because of the construction of the Baroque bow, this bow change produced a naturally non-legato effect—but not a gap or silence. On the modern piano, which sustains tone far more easily, recreating such a gap would sound unnatural.

Therefore:

• Do not create an audible separation between slurs in either touch or sound.
• The phrasing should remain connected and natural, guided by musical sense rather than by the mechanical limitations of historical notation.

Notice how Leopold Mozart describes phrasing without the use of rubato. His approach emphasizes a natural shaping of the musical line, similar to the inflection of spoken language. You will explore how to create this natural emphasis on the "syllables" of a phrase in the Phrasing chapter of the next volume, where phrasing contour is studied in depth.

A two-note slur, familiar from Baroque performance practice, carries the same meaning in the Classical period. Its articulation and musical function remain unchanged.

[...] the first note in a slur must at all times be stressed more strongly and sustained a little longer. This sustaining must be carried out with such good judgment that the bar-length is not altered in the smallest degree.

This next example shows the beginning of the slur functioning as a gentle emphasis on a note within the left-hand accompaniment pattern, reflecting a steady sense of metrical pulsation. You will explore how to feel and internalize this inner pulse in the next Volume III.

The first note of a slur indicates the natural point of phrasing emphasis.

Within the context of phrasing, this slight stress should arise from the natural contour of the musical line—much like the natural accent in singing—not from any deliberate or mechanical articulation. The accent is felt, not applied.

It should be observed, in addition, that the note on which the curved line begins should be very gently (and almost imperceptibly) accented.

In nineteenth-century repertoire, both short and long slurs often function as indicators of phrasing rather than articulation.

Two-note slurs still appear and retain their traditional meaning, but the prevailing default in Romantic music is legato or legatissimo, unless the score specifies otherwise.

During a lesson with Tatiana Zelikman, the teacher of Daniil Trifonov, I was told that the accents Frédéric Chopin so carefully placed on each beat in his études should not be interpreted literally. It is quite possible that Chopin wrote these "accents" to guide his students toward a clearer sense of pulse and to help cultivate an evenness of sound across the fingers.

For example, in the C-major Étude, he may have wished for a more even tone in the right hand when playing with the little finger:

Similarly, the études below may reflect Chopin’s desire to reinforce the underlying metrical pulsation rather than to demand a literal accent on every beat.

During the Impressionist period, Maurice Ravel referred to his slurs as musical slurs, meaning they primarily indicated phrasing rather than articulation. At times, he even preferred a more non-legato touch for notes under the slur, depending on the character and colour of the passage.

All articulations can be understood as variations of legato intonation—singing with both glissando and a sense of resistance.

In every articulation, remember to:

• sing with arm weight.
• sing both notes with a long sense of sound movement.
• sing the first note without articulations.
• sing the first half of the interval with legato.
• sing the second half of the interval with more acceleration or arm-weight.

The reason for singing the first half of the interval with glissando & resistance is to let the finger muscles be prepared for articulations.

• When you feel resistance in your vocal cords this sends a preparatory sensation to your finger muscles.
• When you sing the second half of the interval with more acceleration or weight this sends a final impulse to your finger muscles to execute articulations.

In the following examples, observe how wrist motion adapts to tempo:

• full 3D wrist motion at slow speeds—around one note every two seconds.
• a flatter 3D motion at moderate tempos—about one note per second.
• a 2D horizontal wrist motion at fast tempos, starting from two notes per second and above.

In the video, you’ll notice that I play the first note with articulation, even though I sing it without. When you begin practising the exercises in the next video, start by playing the first note without articulation, just as you sing it. Later, once the sensation of articulation has been fully internalized and becomes second nature, you will also be able to play the first note with articulation.

During playing, keep your hands loose, empty and weak while playing. Tension in your vocal cords may trigger excessive tension in the hands.

In vocal singing, portamento refers to gliding smoothly between notes with both support and a sense of resistance. In this method, we use the term intonation to describe that same portamento singing.

Sing the second half of the interval with acceleration.

Sing the second half of the interval with moderate acceleration.

Sing the second half of the interval with a sense of acceleration, imagining the sound of a racing car gaining speed.

The character of the staccato—whether sharper or softer—depends on this acceleration: the greater the speed, the sharper the staccato will feel and sound.

Sing the second half of the interval with arm-weight and acceleration.

If the acceleration becomes too strong, the tenuto will turn into an accent; if there is no acceleration at all, the note will lose its sustained, supported quality.

Allow your arm motion to follow this falling line closely, remaining roughly 90% vertical. This gesture mirrors the internal sensation of opening the back of the throat and letting the sound descend through the torso, diaphragm, and down toward the pelvis. Opening the mouth slightly wider can help reinforce this sense of depth and openness.

Begin by singing with arm-weight only, allowing the voice and the hand to align with the natural drop. Then add a small degree of acceleration—just enough to maintain the feeling of a free, natural fall.

Avoid consciously slowing down the arm-weight; the intention is to let gravity lead the motion rather than to control the descent.

Sing the second half of the interval with strong acceleration and sudden application of arm-weight.

It is important to think of the acceleration first, and the arm-weight second. The weight used here should not be as deep or sustained as in tenuto.

The character of the accent—whether sharp or more rounded—depends on the combination of acceleration and weight: the greater the speed and the greater the arm-weight, the sharper and more powerful the accent will be.

Work through each articulation with the singing exercises below. Start by playing the first note without articulation, just as you sing it; later, once the sensation has become second nature, you will also be able to play the first note with articulation.