Marcato assai

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the staff at the passage it governs, typically on a melodic entry. It holds until another articulation word or new material.

How Composers Use It

Very marked. Assai works here much as molto does, so choose by the style of your other markings and keep it consistent within a score. It suits horn or brass lines that must punch through a busy orchestral texture; give the dynamic as well, since the word does not set one.

Example

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor (“Pathétique”), third movement, horns 1 and 3, m. 279: “marcato assai”.

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