Molto legato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the staff at the start of a passage, often joined to dolce or a character word (dolce e molto legato; sehr ruhig, molto legato). Schubert’s editions print molto ligato. It governs the passage until another articulation word or section.

Also spelled: molto ligato

How Composers Use It

Very smooth, close to legatissimo. On the piano it asks for finger legato and careful pedalling; for strings and winds, seamless joins. Beethoven pairs it with dolce for lyrical themes that contrast with energetic surroundings, and that is its best use: a smoothness the music would not otherwise suggest.

Example

Schumann, Arabeske in C major, Op. 18, m. 79: “molto legato”.

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