George Frederick McKay · section 88 of 111

CONTRAST OF STACCATO AND LEGATO (Consecutive)

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All effective phrasing, bowing or shaping of ideas will make some use of contrast of staccato and legato in consecutive action. To illustrate this, an ordinary scale passage will do.

Sawed out by the violins in this expressionless détaché bowing, the result is quite dull:

Scale passage in eighth notes, détaché (no slurs) — Fig. 233 · Play this example in the reader ▶

Almost equally dull is this version, in which there is a uniformly smooth and eventless legato:

The same scale passage, slurred throughout (legato) — Fig. 234 · Play this example in the reader ▶

How much more character even an ordinary scale takes on when staccato and legato contrast is added to its shaping!

The same scale passage with mixed slurs, staccato dots and accents (>) — Fig. 235 · Play this example in the reader ▶

from DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 4 in G Major (Novello) — full-score excerpt without instrument labels; mf, dim., pp dim., fp, p — PLATE XXXIV. BALANCE OF IDIOMATIC CH — Fig. 236 · Play this example in the reader ▶

from MENDELSSOHN: The Hebrides Overture (Kalmus) — Fl., Ob., Cl., Fg. (a 2, f), Cor. (a 2), Tr. (a 2), Timp., Vl. I, Vl. II, Vla., Vlc., Cb. — PLATE XXXV. BALAN — Fig. 237 · Play this example in the reader ▶

This inner contrast within a line is one way to create enjoyable sound; all successful composers make use of it. Haydn, in particular, was especially creative with this process, and all the composers of the Classic Period made much of this “architectural” contrast. Contrast of staccato and legato is particularly necessary in the writing of string parts. With the many alternatives of bowing available, there are wonderfully rich possibilities for invention in the shaping of string design. Study the classic string quartets to get a feeling for subtleties of bowing. Observe the staccato and legato design in this excerpt from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6:

Violin 1 (tr); Violin 2 (sfz, sfz); Viola; Cello; Bass (6/8) — Fig. 238 · Play this example in the reader ▶

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