Betont

As Printed on a Score

Printed over the note or line to be stressed, sometimes repeated a few bars later, and in bilingual editions paired with “marcato”. It can apply to a single note or to a whole melodic strand until another word supersedes it.

How Composers Use It

Stressed, emphasised: the German marcato, or a request to bring a line forward. Use it where accent marks would be too local or too sharp — betont can mean ‘give this melody weight’ rather than ‘hit each note’. For a voice that should simply stand out in the texture, hervortretend is the more precise word.

Example

Cornelius, Trauer und Trost, Op. 3, “Angedenken”, piano, m. 15: “betont” with “marcato” beside it, and again at m. 17.

Related Terms