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Between legato and staccato — slightly separated but not as detached as staccato. Marked with dots under a slur.
Portato (also called mezzo-staccato or louré) asks for a gentle pulsing within a connected line — each note has a slight articulation but the overall effect is smooth. Use it for expressive passages that need definition without losing the singing quality.
Brahms's Violin Concerto, second movement — the oboe melody uses portato to give each note weight while maintaining the flowing line.
Portato is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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