1. (a.) Disconnected; separated; distinct; -- a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.

2. (a.) Expressed in a brief, pointed manner.

a cappella abbandono accidental accrescendo adagietto adagio affettuoso agilmente agitato allegretto allegro amabile amoroso andante andantino appassionatamente appassionato arrhythmia beat beating breve brillante cantando capriccioso ceaseless ceaselessness chattering clicking con affetto con agilita con agitazione con amore constancy constant constant flow continual continualness continuity crescendo crotchet decrescendo demilegato demisemiquaver diminuendo dolce dominant dominant note double whole note drumming eighth note enharmonic enharmonic note execution expression fingering flat flutter fluttering forte fortissimo glissando half note heartbeat heartthrob hemidemisemiquaver incessancy incessant intonation lamentabile larghetto larghissimo largo legato leggiero machine gun marcando mezzo staccato minim morendo music-making musical note natural noninterruption note oscillating oscillation palpitant palpitation parlando patent note perennial performance perpetual perpetuity pianism pianissimo piano pitapat pitter-patter pizzicato pounding prestissimo presto pulsatile pulsating pulsation pulsative pulsatory pulse pulsing quarter note quaver quick fire rallentando rapid rapid fire rapid recurrence rapid succession rapidity rat-a-tat rataplan regular regularity rendering rendition repeated repercussion repetition report responding note rhythm rhythmic ritardando ritenuto rubato scherzando scherzo scherzoso semibreve semiquaver shaped note sharp sixteenth note sixty-fourth note slur sordo sotto voce spattering spiccato spluttering sputtering steadiness steady stretto stuttering sustained sustained note sustainment tattoo tempo tercet thirty-second note throb throbbing thrumming thumping ticking tone touch tremolando tremoloso trillando triplet unbroken unceasing unchanging unintermission unintermitted unintermittent unintermitting uninterrupted uninterruption unremitting unstopped unvarying vibrating vibration whole note