Articulation

Execution and Intentions

The manner of execution will depend on how the instrument is played—for example, finger technique for piano, bowing for strings, and tonguing for wind instruments. In singing, consonants play a major role in the articulation of the text, which in turn affects the articulation of the vocal line. Given the variety in articulation, composers can therefore make use of the differences to delineate individual instrumental lines and thereby create textural clarity. However, in practice, the clarity of articulation will, in part, also depend on the acoustical environment—for example, a reverberant church may obscure certain articulative details or subtleties but may enhance slow, sustained chordal textures.

In notated music, articulation intentions may or may not be indicated by the composer. For example, composers from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance generally do not provide such indications. Symbols for articulation (such as slurs and staccato dots) were introduced from the 17th century onward, the interpretation of which often depends on the context. For example, phrase markings can signify smooth bowing in string music, but when used to mark out phrase structures, they do not necessarily mean legato playing and may in fact subsume staccato notes. More broadly, there are conventions governing the interpretation or execution of articulation, and they vary from era to era, sometimes even from composer to composer. At the same time, certain articulation may be associated with ornamentation (e.g., slur in appoggiatura). Such matters come under the subdiscipline of performance practice in music studies. C. P. E. Bach's Versuch über die Wahre Art das Klavier zu Spielen (1753 and 1762) and J. J. Quantz's Versuch Einer Anweisung die Flöte Traversiere zu Spielen (1752) are two well-known performance treatises from the 18th century. Blues and jazz performances are two modern instances in which correct articulation is critical for stylistic rendition. As a contrast, in ancient Chinese guqin (Chinese 7-string zither) “scores,” the instructions for articulation are encoded within Chinese notational characters.

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