Martelé

As Printed on a Score

Printed above a string part, often over notes carrying staccato dots, wedges or accents, and in force until another bowing word (détaché, lié, ord.) replaces it. In French piano music the same word asks for hammered, emphatic notes.

How Composers Use It

The bow bites into the string before each note and stops after it, so martelé is incisive and distinct — but it takes time, and in quick passages players fall back on spiccato or détaché. It is usually played in the upper half of the bow; for heavier strokes at the frog, write au talon. Martellato is the Italian equivalent; reserve either for passages that need edge, not merely separation.

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