glissando
/ɡlɪˈsæn.dəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡlɪˈsɑːn.doʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ɡlɪˈsændəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡlɪˈsændəʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /gli-ˈsän-(ˌ)dō/ (ame, mw)
glissando — adverb
1. A direction in written music telling the player to slide smoothly from one note
A direction in written music telling the player to slide smoothly from one note to the next through all the pitches in between.
The composer marked the violin part glissando for the last four bars.
Haruki pointed to the score and asked the pianist to play that section glissando.
notation use: 'play…glissando' as a written instruction on the score
The harp passage in the Ravel score was written glissando, sweeping across three octaves.
Look at bar sixteen — it says glissando right above the clarinet line.
The arranger pencilled a glissando instruction over the trombone part.
用法筆記
Refers specifically to the written instruction on a musical score. Distinguish from adverb sense 2 (IN PERFORMANCE), which describes the audible manner of playing rather than what appears on the page.
常見錯誤
2. When a passage of music is performed with each note gliding continuously into th
When a passage of music is performed with each note gliding continuously into the next rather than being played as separate, distinct steps.
The violinist moved glissando up the fingerboard, and the audience held its breath.
Ngozi played the opening phrase glissando, letting each note melt into the next.
describing performance: 'played…glissando'
When the muted trumpet entered glissando, the tense mood of the whole piece dissolved.
At the conductor's signal, the cello line was taken glissando, and the weeping melody hushed the hall.
You can hear the violas sweep glissando just before the final crashing chord.
- smoothly
general term; glissando specifically means sliding through all intermediate pitches, not just playing smoothly
- staccato
played with each note short and detached — the opposite of sliding smoothly between notes
用法筆記
Describes how a passage is actually played or heard. Distinguish from adverb sense 1 (NOTATION DIRECTION), which refers to what appears on the sheet music rather than the audible result.
常見錯誤
glissando — adjective
- glissandopositive
- more glissandocomparative
- most glissandosuperlative
1. Played by moving smoothly through all the pitches between the starting and endin
Played by moving smoothly through all the pitches between the starting and ending notes rather than jumping from one to the next.
The glissando harp passage at the start of the piece sounds like falling water.
collocation: glissando + instrument + passage
A glissando trombone line opened the second set, giving the room a playful, slippery feel.
Kwame drilled the glissando scale exercise on his clarinet until his fingers moved without thinking.
A glissando effect crept into the electric guitar bridge, making the whole track feel dreamlike.
Ingrid ended the song with a soft glissando chord that faded into silence.
- sliding
broader term used outside music; glissando is the specific musical term for sliding through all intermediate pitches
glissando — noun
- glissandosingular
- glissandosplural
1. A quick slide through a range of musical notes, heard as one unbroken sweep of s
A quick slide through a range of musical notes, heard as one unbroken sweep of sound rather than a series of separate pitches.
The harpist played a fast glissando that rippled from the lowest string to the highest.
collocation: fast glissando
Fatima ended her piece with a bright piano glissando that drew a cheer from the children in the front row.
collocation: piano glissando
A sudden glissando on the flute cut through the rehearsal, making every musician turn towards the stage.
The sonata's final movement ends with a slow glissando that sinks into near-silence.
During rehearsal, Javier asked the guitarist to try the glissando again, this time with more speed.
- portamento
a similar slide between notes but typically more subtle and used in singing; glissando is more deliberate and covers a wider pitch range
- slide
informal equivalent used by musicians in everyday conversation
用法筆記
The noun identifies the slide technique or the resulting sound itself. Compare with the adjective (SLIDING PASSAGE, which describes a passage) and the adverb senses (which describe how something is played or notated).