sostenuto

[ sos-tuh-noo-toh, soh-stuh-; Italian saws-te-noo-taw ]

adjective

1. sustained or prolonged in the time value of the tones.

noun

, plural sos·te·nu·tos, Italian sos·te·nu·ti [saws-te-, noo, -tee].

1. a movement or passage played in this manner.

sostenuto

/ ˌsɒstəˈnuːtəʊ /

adjective

1. music (preceded by a tempo marking) to be performed in a smooth sustained manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of sostenuto¹

1715–25; < Italian, past participle of sostenere; sustain

Word History and Origins

Origin of sostenuto¹

C18: from Italian, from sostenere to sustain, from Latin sustinēre to uphold

Example Sentences

Robbins Landon, is a Largo e sostenuto in D minor, and stares straight at its kin in Beethoven, the brooding Largo e mesto of Op.

From New York Times

And humor, as when vibrato-rich sostenuto in the violins is interrupted by a belching low note from the cello.

From New York Times

It had only recently ended up at the Steinway factory in Astoria, Queens, a place of wood and felt and cast iron and the mechanical parts needed for music to happen: agraffes, backchecks, sostenuto rods and dozens of others.

From New York Times

Just one work on the bill at this free pop-up concert, with beer on hand, but a rewarding one: “Allegro Sostenuto,” a clarinet trio by Helmut Lachenmann, the central influence on so much music written in the past few decades.

From New York Times

The program opens with Hans van Manen’s 1973 “Adagio Hammerklavier,” which, set to the astounding adagio sostenuto movement of Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” sonata, is an odd addition to the repertory.

From New York Times